Proceedings. 55 



Conducting envelope, viz., the crust. The atmosphere, in its 

 lower parts a bad, but above a good, conductor, becomes 

 a final link of connection of the circuit between the equator 

 and the poles. The positive electricity at the equator will be 

 ejected from the earth, and the upper atmosphere gradually 

 becomes charged with positive electricity, whilst the earth 

 remains negative. The positive electricity moves from equator 

 to poles, while negative electricity moves from poles to equator, 

 and an electric tension is created between atmosphere and 

 earth; and when this becomes too great, a fusion takes place. 

 At the equator and in temperate zones this is effected by 

 sudden discharges or thunder-storms,while at the poles it is 

 more even and continuous, and appears as the Aurora. The 

 discharge occurs most easily in the direction of the inclination- 

 needle, which at the equator is parallel to earth's surface, 

 so that the discharge can only take place when the tension 

 is so great that it conquers the small conductive force of the 

 lower atmosphere. The nearer the poles the more the needle 

 inclines, and so the discharge is easy and even and con- 

 tinuous. Prof. Edlund also shows that these discharges must 

 preferably take place in a belt at some distance from the pole, 

 i. e., in what has been mentioned as the maximal zone. 



Mr. Newnian described and showed diagrams of meteoro- 

 logical occurrences observed at Keigate on three different 

 occasions. They were long, thin, white bands, apparently of 

 cirrus cloud stretching right across the sky, and on two 

 occasions distinctly converging at their opposite poles. On 

 March 28th, 1885, at 11 p.m., there were three great belts of 

 light stretching in parallel lines across the sky from N.E. to 

 S.W. ; wind N.E. The moon shone through one belt, and 

 appeared as in a haze ; there was no halo. The weather, 

 both before and after, was fine and settled. This occurrence 

 is already recorded in our Proceedings. On May 15th, 1886, 

 at 11 p.m., there were seen five belts converging in the N.W. 

 and S.E. horizons; wind W.N. W. There was a very distinct 

 lunar halo, of which one belt formed a part. The moon, 

 which was not behind a belt, was blurred and misty. On 



