Mr William Sturgeon on the Aurora Borealis. 153 



remarkable was observed beyond a strong glare of light, wliicli 

 pierced the clouds and illuminated the whole expanse of country be- 

 neath. 



The Seven Stars and Aldebaran were immersed in a strong auroral 

 light at midnight, when the clouds had partly cleared away. The 

 luminous bow or arch, which frequently attends the aurora borealis, 

 never appeared during any part of the scene. 



An aurora borealis appeared on the 18th of Xovembor, which con- 

 sisted of a glare of light in the noith, attended by a few shootintr 

 streamers. 



Tuesday, November 21. — The morning was gloomy, with a licht 

 west wind. The thermometer stood at 40°, but rose to 44° in the 

 forenoon. The afternoon was cloudy, with light siiowers of i-ain, 

 and a brisk west wind. The sun set very red, and gave a glowing 

 redness to the vicinal clouds, which were arranged in bands, in the 

 direction of the wind from west to east ; and shortly afterwards traces 

 of an aurora borealis were depicttd in the heavens. 



The usual auroral bow appeared in the north before six o'clock, 

 and, at a quarter past six, bands of streamers appeared in various 

 parts of the heavens ; and, at the same time, a broad field of red 

 light hovered, for about two minutes, in the north-east. The bow, 

 at this time, was not so high as the lower pointer in the Gi'eat Bear. 

 At half-past six the arch or bow reached to an altitude of about 15", 

 but was very imperfectly formed ; it became more and more diffused, 

 spreading its light, in a short time, till it nearly covered the whole 

 of the Great Bear. A few short streamers appeared at a low alti- 

 tude in the north, as if they proceeded from a thin streak of cloud 

 which crossed the meridian beneath, and parallel to the luminous 

 arch. 



About seven o'clock, several bands of dim red light started from 

 the west, passed through the zenith, through Cassiopise, and extended 

 to the eastern horizon ; they were obviously illuminated streaks or 

 bands of vapour, arranged by the westerly wind. There was scarcely 

 any auroral light in the north at the time, and the stars looked very 

 dim. At a quaiter past seven a broad band of dim redness formed 

 from west to east; it passed through the zenith and Cassiopias, and 

 travelled slowly soutlnvaid, until its eastern limb pass, d over the 

 Pleiades. It broke up withhi three minutes after its formation; the 

 eastern pait quite vanishid, but the western limb continued visible 

 for a much longer time; it was always broadest and brightest on the 

 western side. I'liis phenomenon was immediately succeeded by a 

 band of dim whitish light, which stretched across the northern 

 heavens, having a horizontal span of 120^, and an altitude reaching 

 that of the Great Bear. About this time, the whole of the northern 

 parts of the concave seemed to be filled with broad dim bands of a 

 smoky reddish ooloui', which had evei'y ajjpcarance of being illumi- 

 nated bands of vapour, arranged by the wind, at this time very feeble. 



