‘ 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. ll 
Three days ago I had a fine opportunity of observing a waterspout under 
my house, and could, with a spy-glass, distinctly observe that, at the surface 
of the sea, it was revolving like the hands of a watch, and the same observation 
was made at a telegraph station near Government House. This is the fifth 
account, well authenticated, in north latitude : all five revolved in the same way. 
Bermuda, 5rd August, 1839. 
Dear Si1r,—Not having made any notes at the time, I can only proceed to 
narrate the circumstances, which occurred here in August, 1831, from memory. 
On the 10th of that month the weather was remarkably fair, but as evening 
drew near a change took place. The sky began to lower and put on an awful 
aud gloomy appearance. The clouds collected voluminously and very heavily 
in every direction over the island, indicating a prodigious fall of rain. At this 
time I do not recollect any threatening of a storm of wind, save a moderately 
hollow sound of the sea dashing against the shore, but by no means equalling 
that which we frequently witness at this season of the year when a storm is 
impending, or has passed by us. ‘Thunder and lightning began to be severe, 
and the weather more threatening. Next morning, the I1th, I rose early, for 
the purpose of writing, and soon discovered, the light was so dim, I could not 
proceed. I removed to another room, and finding my situation not improved, 
I said in the presence of one of my family, I apprehend a sudden fuilure of 
sight. I was then asked if I had not observed a very peculiar appearance of 
the sun’s rays the day before. 1 had not; but had perceived the floor of the 
room to look blue, especially where the sun shone on it: indeed every object 
in the room appeared of a sickly blue colour. The next day, the 12th, a mail- 
boat was put under weigh for the first time, with a party on board. The day 
was so mild and tranquil we could only reach a few miles; the sails, which 
were new, and pure white, nevertheless appeared to be stained of a bluish 
colour, and the sea was of a dingy yellow. On the first arrival from the West 
Indies we heard of the devastation at Barbadoes; but with us there were no 
subsequent unusual appearances; on the contrary, we had very fair weather, 
although I heard this singular blue colour was observed even to the coast of 
America. 
(Signed) Avueustus Wm. Harvey, M.D. 
Sir David Brewster, who communicated Col. Reid’s letter, observed, 
that in the course of a series of experiments on the colour of mixed 
plates, both as produced by the soft solids compressed between plates 
of glass, and as exhibited in laminz of sulphate of lime, and other 
minerals containing strata of minute cavities filled with fluids, he was 
led to the opinion that the blue colour of the sun was produced in a 
similar way by vapour or water in a vesicular state, interposed between 
_ the sun and the observer. Owing to this cause, the sun may exhibit 
any colour, and, in point of fact, he had once seen the sun of a bright 
salmon colour, in which both red and yellow were mixed with the blue. 
_ A similar effect is often produced when the sun is seen in a cold winter 
morning through the windows of a carriage covered with hoar frost, or 
when it is seen through vapour similarly deposited. Sir David referred 
to observations of his own published in the Phil. Trans. for 1837, in 
which he had shown that the colours of mixed plates were phenomena 
of diffraction produced by the edges of transparent bodies separating 
media of different density. 
