92 



the sky was covered with clouds and rain was falling. 

 When looking at the most brilliant red light of the aurora a 

 faint red light was seen at the red end of the spectrum, and 

 beyond the bright white line towards the violet end two 

 broad bands of faint white light. 



Mr. Thomas Hareison stated that he saw the aurora on 

 last Sunday evening from G^' 15"^ to 9^' 80°* and took spectro- 

 scopic observations thereon from various parts of the sky. 

 In each case, however, he discovered only one bright yellow 

 line, situated between D and E, being on Kirchoff s scale 

 about 1255 to 12G0. He is not acquainted with any known 

 substance that gives a corresponding line. The line through- 

 out was very clear and decided both in the narrow and wide 

 slit; but he failed to discover any continuous spectrum. 

 The line was also very perceptible by reflection from those 

 parts of the sky in which no trace of aurora was visible ; 

 and although the streaks were both red and white, the 

 spectroscope appeared to give the aurora as a mono- 

 chromatic light. 



"Note on the Destruction of St. Mary's Church, Crumpsall, 

 on the 4th January, 1872, by Fire from a Lightning Dis- 

 charge," by Joseph Baxendell, F.RA.S. 



The interest taken in the question as to the cause of the 

 recent accident by lightning to St. Mary's Church, Crumpsall, 

 induces me to submit to the Society the following results of 

 a careful examination of the lightning conductor, spouts, 

 gas piping, &c., at the church and rectory, which I made on 

 the 27th ultimo. 



The lower part of the conductor passes through an iron 

 down-spout, and terminates in a common drain-pipe at a 

 distance of only 3 feet 9 inches from the lower end of the 

 spout, and at a depth of only about 18 inches below the 

 surface of the ground. It has therefore no direct connection 



