84 RECORD OF AURORAL PHENOMENA. 



It first began to display itself on the 15th of September, about the latitude of C9J°, appearing in 

 the (true) southeast quarter as a bright luminous patch five or six degrees above the horizon, 

 almost stationary for two or three hours together, but frequently altering its intensity, and occa- 

 sionally sending up vivid streamers towards the zenith. 



It appeared in the same manner, on several subsequent nights, in the southwest, west, and east 

 quarters of the heavens; and on the 20th, a bright arch of it passed across the zenith from south- 

 east to northwest, appearing to be very close to the skip, and affording so strong a light as to 

 throw the shadow of objects on the deck." — 3 Parry, 170. 



N. P. — Very close to the ship. 



On the lee.— Lat. 69° 43' N. Long. 168° 4' E. March 1, 1821. Von Wrangell. 



"The thermometer was at — 25° throughout the day. 

 In this day's journey we saw an unusual phenomenon : in the N. E. horizon there appeared an 

 insulated dark-gray cloud, from which white beams streamed to the zenith and across it to the 

 opposite horizon, resembling the beams of the Aurora, but whether luminous or not we could 

 not tell on account of the daylight. The phenomenon lasted about half an hour. One of our 

 Cossacks who had been before on the Polar Sea, maintained that the cloud was occasioned by 

 vapor rising from a sudden crack in the ice. 

 On the same evening, there was an Aurora extending from N. E. to N. W." — Von Wrangell, 

 pp. 101-2. 



N. P. — Preceded by a dark-gray cloud with beams streaming from it to the zenith. 



On the Ice.— Lat, G9 C 58' N. 168° 41' E. March 2, 1821. Von Wrangell. 



"We saw this evening an Aurora of extraordinary beauty. The sky was clear and cloudless, and 

 the stars sparkled in their fullest arctic brilliancy. With a slight breeze from the N. E., there 

 rose in the E. N. E. a great column of light, from which rays extended over the sky, in the 

 direction of the wind, in broad and brilliant bands, which appeared to approach us, whilst they 

 varied continually in form. 

 From the rapidity with which the rays shot through the whole space from the horizon to the 

 zenith, in less than two seconds, the Aurora appeared to be nearer to us than the ordinary height 

 of the clouds. We could perceive no effect on the compass needle." — Von Wrangell, pp. 103-4. 



N. R, — 1. Aurora nearer than the ordinary height of clouds. 

 2. No effect on the compass needle. 



Felix Harbor (Gulf of Boothia).— Lat. 69° 59' N. Long. 92° 1' 6" W. Ross. 



October 18, 1829. 



"It was a beautiful clay, with calm weather; the thermometer was between G° and 8°, but in the 

 evening it fell till it reached 1° only, at seven o'clock. This was by very much the lowest tempera- 

 ture we had yet experienced. Sunday found all our men well, and him who had met with the 

 accident recovered. More than fifty lunar distances were obtained for the longitude. The 

 Aurora was seen in the southeast." — 2 Ross, 204. 



October 21. 



"The Krusenstern was secured yesterday, and at night an Aurora made its appearance." — 

 Ibid., p. 205. 



October 31. 



" At sunset there was a large halo, being but the second we had seen; it was, however, only a white 

 one. There was afterwards an Aurora to the southward." — Ibid., p. 208. 



