Prof. Hansteen on the Aurora Borealis. 177 
APPENDIX. 
On the Noise attending the Aurora borealis*; in a Letter Srom 
M. Ramm, Royal Inspector of Forests at Térset, to Pro- 
Jessor Hansteen. 
I. 
I have been much pleased with several Numbers of the 
Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne, but particularly so by your 
article on the magnetism of the earth. On reading Scoresby’s 
voyage for the re-discovery of the east coast of Greenland, I 
thought to observe that neither he nor anybody else had 
noticed the noise attending the motions of the northern lights. 
I believe, however, that I have heard it repeatedly during a 
space of several hours, when a boy of ten or eleven years old 
(it was in the year 1766, 1767 or 1768); I was then crossing 
a meadow, near which was no forest, in winter, and saw for 
the first time the sky over me glowing with the most brilliant 
light playing in beautiful colours, in a manner I have never 
seen since. The colours showed themselves very distinctly 
on the plain, which was covered with snow or hoar-frost, and 
I heard several times a quick whispering sound simultaneously 
with the motion of the rays over my head. However clear 
this event is, and always has been, in my memory, it would 
be unjust to expect it to be received as dn apodictical truth ; 
but should others have made similar observations, it would be 
important for the inquirer into the nature of the aurora borealis. 
Ramsmoen in Térset, March 1825. 
Postscript to the above; by Professor HANsTEEN. 
II. 
I feel indebted to M.Ramm for the above communication. 
The polar regions are in reality the native country of the 
polar light; wherefore we ought to be peculiarly interested in 
obtaining any additional information on the natural history of 
this remarkable phenomenon; and we have so many certain 
accounts of the noise attending it, that the negative experience 
of southern nations cannot be brought in opposition to our 
positive knowledge. Unfortunately, we live, since the beginning 
of this century, in-one of the great pauses of this phanomenon, 
so that the present generation knows but little of it from per- 
sonal observation. It would therefore be very agreeable to 
the editors of the Magazin, to receive from older people simi- 
lar experiences from the time of their youth, when the aurora 
borealis yet showed itself in its full splendour. It can be proved 
mathematically, that the rays of the northern lights ascend 
* From the Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne, for the year 1825, parti. 
p- 171—176, translated into German by L. F. Keemtz. 
Vol. 67. No. 335. March 1826. Z from 
