Account of two Meteors. 6? 



ar,t circles refembling two other funs, one on the ri- T ht and 

 the other on the left, and which with the real fun as a bafc 

 feemed to compofe a triangle. Thefe two fupernumerary 

 furs were fo exceedingly bright, that it was impoffible to keep 

 the eyes fixed on them for any length of time. They dif- 

 appeared gradually ; that on the eaft difappeared firft, and 

 at the end of two hours they were both invifible. 



The wind for ten days had been E.N.E., and a cold much 

 greater than ufual for the feafon had fome days before fuc- 

 ceecied mild weather accompanied with a little rain. On the 

 1 8th of March the mercury in the barometer had fallen to 

 26,8, On the 20th of the fame month there were feveral 

 heavy fhowers of large hail at different times. On the 24th 

 the electrical machine emitted very ftrong fparks almoft 

 without being folicited ; and at the time when the phenome- 

 non appeared, a few clouds fcarcely perceptible were to be 

 feen in the high regions of the atmofphere. 



Phenomena of the above kind, though not frequent, have 

 been feen at different periods. Augulline takes notice of 

 two mock funs which were feen before the chriftian :era 

 Zonaras mentipns two feen after the death of Chrifr Pal- 

 fnefius three feen in 1466, Surius three funs, i. e. two par- 

 helia feen at Wirtenberg in 1514, Fromundus three funs 

 feen in 1619, Cardan three at Venice in 1532. 



In Britain, if we may credit our old chronicles, five funs 

 were plainly feen at one time, and a great diftance from one 

 another, in the year 346 : three were feen in 812; three 

 in 953 ; and five in 1233. Li Uy mentions three ken on 

 the 19th of November, 1644 5 and three feen on the 28th 

 Of February, 1648. A moft remarkable phenomenon of this 

 kind, where five parhelia were feen at once, is mentioned 

 in the 8th volume of the New Tranfaftions of the Imperial 

 Academy at Peterfburg ; an account of which, with an 

 engraving, will be given in a fubfequent number. 



F 2 XV. On 



