230 On the Variation of the Magnetic Needle. 



Yesterday the air was very mild ; in the evening somewhat hazy; 

 in the night it became clear and cold — very clear all day, with a 

 fresh breeze. At a quarter past nine in the evening, a faint aurora 

 in the north. At half past nine, illumination very bright directly in 

 the north, extending about 30° in azimuth, and 6° or 7° in altitude. 

 Mere bank of light. Brightest point a little west of north. At 10 

 o'clock, the center of the aurora is a little east of north. Moon rose 

 at a quarter past ten. This aurora was seen at Hanover, N. H., 

 (Am. Jour., Vol. xxviii, p. 178,) and also in England, where it was 

 described, as most brilliant, (Loudon's Magazine for 1836, p. 33.) 



Dec. 22. — Needle somewhat irregular during the whole day, par- 

 ticularly in the evening. 6 h., P. M., Declination 5° 34' ; 7 h., 5° 

 11'; 8 h., 5° 27' ; 9 h., 5° 23' ; 10 h., 5° 37'. Cloudy all day ; 

 in the evening, aurora very bright through partial openings in the 

 clouds, a few degrees E. of N. Aurora very splendid in England, 

 (Loudon, 1836, p. 33.) 



Dec. 23.— 5 h., P. M., Declination 5° 37'; 6 h., 5° 30'; 7h., 

 5° 29£' ; 9 h., 5° 29' ; 10 h., 5° 29 / . Cloudy, yet a small spot in 

 the N. E. horizon, at 6 o'clock, very bright, about 10° in breadth, 

 its center is about 15° north of Pollux. Not faded at all at seven. 



Jan. 29, 1835.— 7 h., P. M., Declination 5° 52' ; 8 h., 5° 51'; 

 9 h., 5° 34' ; 10 h., 5° 27'. Slightly hazy— manifest illumination ; 

 brightest point about 20° E. of north. At nine o'clock very bright 

 in the same quarter. Seen at Hanover, (Am. Jour., Vol. xxviii, 

 p. 179.) 



Feb. 7.-6 h., A. M., Declination 6° 9' ; 7 h., 5° 49' ; 9 h., 5° 

 42' ; 10 h., 5° 52' ; 11 h., 5° 54' ; 12 h., 5° 50' ; 1 h., P. M., 5° 

 50' ; 3 h., 5° 37 ^ ; 4 h., 5° 38' ; 5 h., 4° 56' ; 6 h., 5° 40' ; 8 h., 

 5° 37 ; 9 h., 5° 37'. The needle, it will be seen, was very irregu- 

 lar during the day, the extreme variation being 1° 13', but quite 

 regular in the evening. The evening was clear and no aurora was 

 seen, although the light of the moon would have obscured anything 



but a splendid aurora. Such a one was seen in England, (Loudon, 

 1836, p. 34.) 



Sept. 4.-2 h. 30 ra., A. M., Declination 5° 22' ; 2 h. 45 m., 5° 

 21' ; 2 h. 55 m., 5° 18' ; 3 h., 5° 12' ; 3 h. 15 m., 5° 21'. At 

 half past two, a bright auroral bank of light. A streamer shoots up 

 from north point of the horizon to y Ursse Minoris, about 5° in 

 breadth ; another shoots up perpendicularly to £ Draconis. At a 



