( 176 ) 
ACCOUNT OF 
A WHITE SOLAR RAINBOW. 
BY 
THE REV. R.SMETHURST. 
COMMUNICATED BY MR. DALTON. 
(Read Jan. 24th, 1817.) 
On the 28th of November, 1816, about 
2 P.M. my attention was arrested by a Phe- 
nomenon new tome, a white Solar Rainbow. 
During the preceding part of the day, there 
had been a very dense fog, which at the time 
I observed the Phenomenon continued undi- 
minished on the surface of the earth, though 
it seemed to be clearing away in the higher 
regions of the atmosphere. ‘There were no 
visible drops of rain. The sun was visible 
through the fog, but its rays were not suffici- 
ently powerful to occasion shadows of ob- 
jects. When I first observed the Rainbow, 
the whole, with the exception of a small por- 
tion of the centre of the arch, was very dis 
tinctly defined. As I continued to observe it, 
which I did during at least five minutes, the 
fog seemed to rise, and the centre also became 
