RECORD OP AURORAL PHENOMENA. 



On mounting these hills, at about 11 o'clock, we were surprised to witness the streaks and flushes 

 of the aurora borealis, occupying the same place that they had done the night before, and so 

 bright and luminous as to command our astonishment and admiration. The streaks were as 

 clearly defined as during the night, and very considerably brighter than the field of the sur- 

 rounding sky. • 



Not a cloud was to be seen, at least during two or three hours, while we narrowly watched the 

 exhibition of this splendid phenomenon. 



On the next and two or three of the succeeding days, we saw the same appearances at intervals; 

 and through the intervening nights the aurora was quite bright. 



I inquired at the time, and frequently afterwards, and could find no person who had noticed it in 

 the day time, excepting those who had been on the hills in our party. Probably others m;iy 

 have observed it, and I regret that I had not sooner made public the result of our observations. 



I know that these appearances could not be discovered from the valleys around us, at the time we 

 saw them, because several of our party made the experiment. 



I have only further to observe that, during this exhibition, the air was very clear and uncommonly 

 bright for several days. 



The streams of light from the north frequently shot up qnite over our heads, and seemed to 

 diverge every way, as from a point situated a very little below the visible horizon. 



I shall be glad to learn if others have ever observed similar appearances under such circumstances, 

 and to see the observations of the learned on this singular and interesting occurrence." — Spaf- 

 ford's Am. Mag., I, No. 10, March 1816, p. 359. 



N. B. — Streaks and flashes of the aurora at noonday. Not a cloud to be seen. 



Albany, N. Y.— Lat. 42° 39' 3" N. Long. 73° 41' 49" W. April 19, 1831. Trof. J. Henry. 



"On the 19th of April, 1831, at 12 o'clock at noon, an observation was made with the Ilansteen 

 needle, the result of which differed only the fractional part of a second from the usual mean rate 

 of this needle. 



At 6 o'clock p. m. the same day, another observation was made with the same needle, and appa- 

 rently under the same circumstances ; but a remarkable change was now observed in the time of 

 its making three hundred vibrations, indicating a great increase in the magnetic intensity of the 

 earth. It was at first supposed that the needle had accidentally been placed contiguous to 

 ferruginous substance; but, on a most careful investigation, nothing could be discovered which 

 would tend in the least degree to explain the cause of the phenomenon. 



At about 9 o'clock in the evening, or three hours after the above observation, an unusual appear- 

 ance was noticed in the southern part of the heavens, which was shortly afterwards recognized as 

 an arch of the aurora. It was about nine degrees in breadth, with the vertex of the arch 

 twenty degrees above the horizon. 



At this time, the northern part of the sky was covered with light fleecy clouds. At forty-five 

 minutes past nine the clouds partially disappeared, and disclosed the tchole northern hemisphere 

 entirely occupied with coruscations of the aurora, shooting up past the zenith, and apparently all 

 converging to the same point. The actual formation of a corona might probably have been 

 observed, but for a dark cloud which remained stationary a little south of the zenith." — Am. 

 Journ. Science, XXII, 146. 



N. B.— At 9 p. m., noticed in the southern part of the heavens. At 9h. 45m. p. m., whole 

 northern hemisphere entirely occupied with coruscations of aurora. 



Toronto, C. "W.— Lat. 43° 39' 35" N. Long. 79° 21' 33" W. May 8, 1836. R. H. Bonnycastle. 



"At a quarter past nine o'clock on Sunday night, the eighth day of May (1836) in the present year, 

 my attention, whilst regarding the heavens, was forcibly attracted to the sudden appearance due 

 east, of a shining, broad column of light. 



