TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 289 
from nine till eleven o’clock this evening, forming 
an arch extending from east to west across the 
zenith ; almost the whole of the south side of the 
hemisphere was indeed illumined by it, but it 
was not seen to the northward except near the 
zenith. It presented at different times a beautiful 
display of some of the prismatic colours, particu- 
larly the red, orange, yellow, and green; lake was 
also a predominant colour in some parts occa- 
sionally. With respect to the different forms that 
it assumed, and its various movements, I consider 
it impossible to give a correct idea of them by 
words. It appeared sometimes in immense sheets 
of light, moving rapidly along the surface of the 
sky, and at other times it darted in straight 
columns from different parts of the sky towards the 
zenith. The most remarkable appearance, how- 
ever, that it presented, was a sort of serpentine 
motion which it had at one time from west to east, 
across the zenith. ‘The electrometer was tried, but 
it was not affected, nor did we hear any noise 
such as has been said to be produced by this phe- 
nomenon. Whether the Aurora Borealis dims the 
light of the stars or not, I can hardly pretend to say, 
but I can affirm this much, that I could see very 
plainly, in the thickest part of it, the four small 
stars forming the diamond-shaped figure in the 
constellation of the Dolphin, from which I imagine 
that a great part of the dimness that appears to be 
occasioned, is owing to the stars and Aurora Bo- 
realis being nearly of the same colour. 
Wednesdas y, 11th.— We picked up this afiier: 
noon a piece of pine three feet eleven inches in 
U 
