PHYSICAL axp LITERARY. 8g 
jeéts direQtly illuminated by it appear of 
a high orange or even red; at that in- 
ftant, is it any wonder that the colourlefs 
clouds refle& the fame rays in a more 7 
bright and lively manner ! It is obfervable, 
that the clouds. do not commonly aflume 
their brighter dyes till the fun is fomemi- 
nutes fet; and that they pafstrom yellow 
toa flaming golden colour ; and thence, by 
degrees, to red; which turns deeper and 
deeper, though fainter, till the fun leaves 
them altogether... Now, it is plain, that 
the clouds, atthat time, receive the {un’s 
light through a much longer tract of air 
than we do af the inftant of fetting, per- 
haps by the difference of a hundred miles 
ormore; as may be computed from their 
height or the duration of their colours. 
Is it not, therefore, natural to imagine, 
that, as the fun’s light becomes always 
fomewhat yellowith or crange in pafling 
through the depth of the atmofphere ho- 
rizontally, it ought to itcline more and 
more from orange towards red, by paf= 
fing through a ftill greater length of air; 
fothat the clouds, according to their dif- 
2 ferent 
