328 METEOEOLOGY. 



I 



were shot upward from the arch, 10 or 15 degrees apart, along its 

 whole length, which converged to a focus, as it were, in the south mag- 

 netic pole of the dipping needle. One of these, which stretched like 

 a broad band along the magnetic meridian, was of a deep crimson or 

 almost blood color. After a short pause the northern arch began to 

 rise slowly towards the zenith, where it was apparently dispersed. 

 On the disappearance of the first arch in the zenith a second arch 

 began to form, and was soon completed, in the south, just as if it was i 

 the reuniting of the first arch after passing the zenith ; also concentric! 

 with tlie magnetic meridian, and having an altitude of 30° above the i 

 southern horizon. The extremities of this southern arch reached i 

 nearly 40° on each side of the magnetic meridian. Beneath this arch, i 

 which was about 5° in breadth, was an intensely black arch concen- i 

 trie with the white one. Just as the southern arch was formed, twoi 

 deeply red belts, springing from the horizon at the points formerly ; 

 occupied by the extremities of the northern arch, stretched themselves ' 

 through the zenith, crossing each other at that point, and ran down i 

 nearly to the southern arch. These soon vanished, when a black seg- ' 

 ment of a circle was formed in the magnetic north, having its edge : 

 fringed with a silvery white. During this the southern arch had i 

 remained nearly unchangeable. Presently, alternately red and white 

 streamers darted up from the horizon, or near to it, all around the con- 

 cave, varying in width from 1° to 3° or 4° and converging towards 

 the zenith, the southern arch still remaining as before. On the ceasing 

 of this phenomenon the southern arch became serpentine in its course. 

 About two hours after thiSj that is about 11 o'clock, the aurora, 

 arriving at its maximum, presented a most beautiful spectacle. The 

 whole northern sky, from the east to the west, became thickly beset 

 with a multitude of stud like streamers, in the north coming to within 

 only about 15° of the horizon, but at the east and west meeting the 

 horizon along an azimuth of nearly 30°, which all converged into a 

 beautiful corona about the pole of the dipping needle. These stream- 

 ers seemed all to have a sort of tremulous or wave-like motion from 

 one side to the other in rapid succession. Shortly afterwards the ( 

 corona sent out streamers down the southern sky, thus completing the t 

 auroral illumination of the whole visible concave. Just at this time -; 

 there was another arch formed, in the north, that is to say in the mag- 

 netic north, stretching about 60° along the horizon, with an altitude 

 at the culminating point of 40°, and composed of brilliant white 

 columns diverging from the north point of the compass, shaded with 

 black beneath. In a few minutes this arch mingled itself with the 

 columns, converging to the pole of the dipping needle ; then there 

 followed a succession of auroral Avaves, passing over the whole sky, 

 not unlike the electric flashes sometimes observed in thunder clouds. 

 The southern arch maintained its position nearly three hours, disap- 

 pearing, hov/ever^ during the occurrence of the last named phenome- 

 non. Daring the above auroral display the sky was clear from clouds ; 

 for as brilliant as the auroras were the brighter stars could be j^lainly 

 seen through them, even where they were intensely black. The aurora 

 continued more or less brilliant during the remainder of the night. 

 This auroral display was characterized by all the more conspicuous 



