U8 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



sky was during the whole time 

 strongly illuminated by the Au- 

 rora Borealis, which did not, 

 however, discnarge any vigorous 

 streams, until lOn. 40ni. when, 

 for a short time, a few beautiful 

 ones were obser\ ed. 



The resemblance betwixt this 

 meteor and the one of the 1 Ith 

 of September, 1814, is suflicient 

 to show that tney originated from 

 the same cause. Both were first 

 observed near tne Zenith ; they 

 were both perpendicular to the 

 magnetic meridan ; both liad a 

 motion towards the south, and 

 they were both accompanied and 

 followed by an Auroia Borealis. 

 There are, however, some points 

 of difference : the one of the 1 1th 

 of September, 1814, never suffer- 

 ed the smallest alteration, either 

 in continuity or curvature ; the 

 time of its ap]jeai"ance was only 

 about half an hour, and it was 

 followed by an Aurora, unequalled 

 for many years citner in brilliancy 

 or duration. Whether the me- 

 teor of yesterday will be found to 

 have been more local, which the 

 time it remained visible leads nie 

 to suspect, will soon be known. 

 But among all the jjoints of dif- 

 ference, tlie one which has been 

 the most vexatious to me is, that 

 the latter does not seem to have 

 had so rcgtdar a motion as the 

 former. Of the one of 1814 I 

 was enabled to calculate the 

 height and velocity, so as to agree 

 with observations taken here and 

 in distant places ; but of the late 

 one 1 have not been able to assign 

 any constant height or uniform 

 motion, which \vill account for 

 its appearances ; and I am in- 

 duced to conclude, that in one or 

 Ijoth of these particulars it had 

 altered considerably during the 



time I observed it. 1 am, &c. — 



John Cross. 

 Glasgow Observatory , Sept. yS. 



2.5. Belfast. — Last night, from 

 eight to ten o'clock, a phenomenon 

 of singular beauty appeared to 

 the inhabitants of this town j it 

 was in the form of a vei-y regular 

 arch, of white faint light, of about 

 five degiees breadth in the mid- 

 dle, and terminating at a point at 

 each end. At 20 minutes past 

 eight its east end seemed to ori- 

 ginate in the Pleiades, which was 

 then rising, passed through the 

 con-stellation of Cassiopea's Chair, 

 and through the zenith of Belfast, 

 and terminated in the horizon to 

 the west. Before ten o'clock tlie 

 top of the arch had regularly de- 

 clined from the zenith about 20 

 degrees towards the south, while 

 the ends remained nearly station- 

 ary : it soon after disappeared. 

 The stars were easily seen through 

 it, but appeared somewhat fainter. 

 Between tlie north and north- 

 west, the sky near the horizon ap- 

 peared very bright, having the 

 same appearance as is usual on a 

 fine evening soon after sun-set. 

 It seems most probable that this 

 beautiful phenomenon is to be 

 ascribed to the agency of electric 

 matter in the higher regions of 

 the atmosphere. 



The news from Constantinople, 

 26'th of September, give afflicting 

 details of the conflagration in the 

 seraglio. The fire spread with 

 such rapidity, that the women had 

 only time to save themselves in 

 the surrounding gardens. The 

 Grand Seignor, informed of the 

 danger, ordered all the avenues 

 to be shut ; and it was only after 

 three hours of ravage, and after 

 the women were conveyed to the 

 apai'tments of the Sultan Mother, 



that 



