APPENDIX. 607 



S. : 0° 45' W., 0° 52' W., stationary : 0° 50' W. 5 0° 58' 

 W., arch W. to E.b.N. : 0° 00' W., steady. Elapsed 

 time, 22 m . Thermometer, air —24-°, in observatory 

 — 13° ; weather, calm ; sky, blue. 



On going out from the needle, I observed the southern 

 portion of the heavens to be more or less occupied by 

 beams, and rays at right angles to them, or in the mag- 

 netic position of due north and south. But northwards, 

 at an angle of 10° N.E., was a bright waving double 

 band, which also formed a part of the same original 

 arch that extended from E. N. E. to W. b. S. 



The increasing brilliancy of the double band induced 

 me to revisit the needle, supposing that I should find it 

 somewhere near 00° 00' or zero ; but, so far from this, it 

 had not moved, and remained still steady at 0° 55 r W. : 

 from it might be inferred a negative or repulsive action, in 

 opposition to our former opinions, mentioned in Franklin's 

 last narrative, of an attractive or positive action to the 

 nearest situated aurora. The brightness of the band 

 remained the same on my return to the house. 



March 8th. — For many days past the needle had 

 evinced a restlessness and vibrating action correspond- 

 ing to its motion when affected by the aurora ; but as in 

 some cases it had changed its position, though with less 

 acceleration, after the sun had risen, and become station- 

 ary after it had set, I have been at a loss to account for 

 its unusual activity, the whole of these twenty-four hours 

 in particular, except by supposing the invisible presence 

 of the aurora in full day. 



The sky was blue and clear, with a few clouds of fleecy 

 whiteness, and at each time of observing, I found it 

 impossible to detect the faintest moving substance in 

 the heavens : still, however, the needle kept constantly 

 making unequal arcs, and I watched it in the hope of 



