270 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' Quly 



zenith ; but before I could well note them, they were bent in 

 fantastic convolutions, some curling to spiral columns. In a 

 few moments all this had come and gone, and the broad clean 

 arch of a corona seemed to be rushing towards me from the 

 south. As it rose, a second arch flashed up beneath ; then, as 

 though some giant hand had swept across the skies, the whole 

 scene was changed, and only some vague luminous patches 

 remained. 



' It appears to me that the sharpest contrasts are formed by 

 the vertical shafts, or at the lower edge of the arches where the 

 light is brightest and is clearly outlined against the vaulted blue 

 of the sky ; elsewhere the light merges indefinitely into shade. 



' Since the phenomenon of the aurora has been reproduced 

 artificially, its study has advanced to a stage rather beyond the 

 comprehension of the ordinary man, and after the countless 

 observations which have been made in the North it does not 

 seem likely that our observations or any observations of the 

 actual phenomenon itself can add greatly to our knowledge; 

 but considering that the luminosity of the aurora must be an 

 electrical effect closely connected with the magnetism of the 

 earth, it may be of some interest that in our observation it 

 always appears to the south-east or away from the niagnetic 

 pole. The auroral light is usually a pure white, but we have 

 observed it with a distinct green tinge, and on rare occasions 

 with a reddish shade. Last night there were large patches of 

 light in the zenith, and, what is also rare, several shafts in the 

 west.' 



'■July 28. — . . . The latest southerly gale has awakened 

 us to a most unpleasant fact, though at present it is impossible 

 to gauge the exact extent of our difficulty. The question of 

 the moment is, What has become of our boats ? Early in the 

 winter they were hoisted out to give more room for the awning, 

 and were placed in a line about 100 yards from the ice-foot on 

 the sea-ice. The earliest gale drifted them up nearly gunwale 

 high, and thus for two months they remained in sight whilst 

 we congratulated ourselves on their security. The last gale 

 brought more snow, and, piling it in drifts at various places in 



