Aurora Borealis. 389 



plane which inclined over to the southward at top several de- 

 grees, perhaps 10 or 20 degrees ; through which luminous arch, 

 which had about the apparent breadth of the ordinary rainbow, 

 all the larger stars in its course were plainly visible, although the 

 Pleiades or seven stars but faintly appeared through it, at a small 

 elevation above the crag on the east : all the other parts of the 

 sky appeared perfectly free from clouds or haziness, and there 

 was no appearance of the streaks or flashes of reddish coloured 

 light, which usually distinguish remarkable displays of the aurora 

 borealis ; which to us showed itself only by this light in the vi- 

 sible horizon, but which no where extended far above the same. 

 On watching attentively this curious and singular arch, it visibly 

 declined in intensitv towards the eastern end, and this diminish- 

 ing of its appearance extended gradually towards the western 

 end, until, only about one quarter of its course remaining distinct- 

 ly visible, at nine o'clock we went into the house, considering 

 the whole appearance to be nearly ended. 



At 9^ IS"" we however went out again, and, to our great sur- 

 prise, observed the luminous arch to be renewed, broader than 

 before, but scarcely so well defined at the edges, or so dense; so 

 that smaller stars were visible through it now, than before ; and 

 instead of its former inclining position, its two ends had now 

 moved 12 or 13 degrees more northerly upon the hills bounding 

 our sight ; and on holding up a plumb line, the arch appeared 

 now to pass through our zenith, or to lie in a vertical plane, ex- 

 actly in the magnetic east and west, as has appeared tliis morn- 

 ing, by taking the bearing, with a good compass, of the parti- 

 cular parts of the crags which Mr. Dixon was able to recognise. 

 There was, as before, no other appearance of clouds in the sky; 

 but on watching attentively the northern edge of the arch, near 

 to the zenith, it appeared to send off five or six short branches 

 of the luminous matter, not at right angles to its plane, but di- 

 rected towards the NW. We again went into the house, until 

 9'' 30'", when, again observing, the two ends of the luminous arch 

 were now moved i)ack, very nearly, to their former places on the 

 crags, and the upper part of the arch again inclined, (or haded, 

 to use a miner's term,) towards the S, apparently as much as be- 

 fore; the breadth was now not greater than at first, but it was 

 on the whole fainter, and smaller stars were visible through it : by 

 degrees it now began to disappear, first at the western end; and 

 at 9'' 35'", when our ol)Scrvations ended, only tf small portion 

 thereof was visible at the eastern end. 



Mr. Dixon's son (John) being at Uosthw;iit, about two miles 

 lower down tkc vallev to the NE, where the same meets with 

 the larger valley of Stoncthwaite running near S and N, he ob- 

 served in the more open and distant visible northern horizon of 

 V, b 3 that 



