394 Miscellanies. 
efiluence of the sky, as 1 now saw it extend upwards from the east- 
ern water horizon line to the zenith, in a well defined, equal, broad 
column of white strong light, resembling in some degree that of the 
aurora, but of a steady brightness and unchanging body, whilst there 
were few or no clouds. Ursa Major, then near the zenith, was situ- 
ated with regard to this column, at a quarter past nine as below, the 
column passing nearly vertically between ¢ and 7. 
Zenith. 
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~ Horizon line of Lake. 
There was no moon, as on that day it rose at 2A. 4m. consequently 
it was dark, and as the sky was not very cloudy the meteor was 
seen to the greatest advantage as the night wore on. It passed very 
slowly and bodily to the westward, continuing to occupy the space 
from the horizon to the zenith, until the upper part first faded slowly 
and then the whole gradually disappeared, after it had reached nearly 
to due northeast. I had unfortunately broken my thermometer and 
could therefore only state that the weather was cold, and that there 
was no wind. At twenty five minutes past nine o’clock the pillar of 
light had vanished, but it immediately afterwards reappeared slightly 
in the horizon where it had been last seen, and in the mean time the 
constant auroral arch of the halos I have before mentioned, in Vol. 
30. p. 131, became visible in the northern horizon, and increased 
very rapidly in brilliancy, and at ten minutes to ten gave so intense 
a glow to the sky that it was light enough to enable me to see the » 
objects around distinctly as in pale moonlight. It was in short equal 
to the light of the moon at the end of the second quarter. 
‘The auroral arch rose very high on this occasion and then flatten- 
‘ed, and at ten the double arch, I have already described, was pect- 
liarly beautiful, the darkness under it being singularly grand. 
