Miscellanies. . ofr 
appeared for the first time, auroral waves or the merry dancers.* 
These were very decided and magnificent, and continued their play 
with. various degrees of activity,—all other phenomena seeming to 
give place to them, until 11h. 10m., at which time the aurora had en- 
tirely disappeared except a faint zone of twilight from E. to W. * * * 
t lh. 23m. (A. M. 4th) the auroral waves were extremely active ; 
atid Itmhinous currents were seen ascending to the corona, distinct 
from the waves or flashes, and making directly up in the course of 
the streamers. This was to me an entirely new phenomenon. There 
was in fact a combination of three phenomena. Ist. The streamers, 
which formed the dome, and seemed to be fixed. 2d. These seemed 
to be the conductors of a subtle but just discernible fluid, which 
ascended along or beneath them. 3d. This subtle ascending fluid 
seemed Jike a medium in which the auroral waves exhibited them- 
selves. This is a description of.appearances only. It seemed to the 
spectator as if he was looking up the cupola or funnel of a furnace 
along which heated vapors were ascending with a rush like that of a 
mill-race ; the vapors being every where pervaded by the flashes and 
flickerings of the auroral waves. Both the waves and the upward 
currents were most active as they approached the region of the co- 
Tona, and were not discernible below about 20° of altitude. At 2h. 
10m. I found the wayes and all the phenomena faint. The watchman 
at the cotton manufactory states, however, that near this time there 
was a period of extreme splendor continuing about two minutes. 
2. Meteoric Observations in November and December, 1839.—At 
the time of the expected appearance of an unusual frequency of me- 
teors on the 14th of November, 1839, the sky in this region was so 
much obscured by clouds, that it could not be determined whether or 
not there was any uncommon meteoric display. Clouds prevented 
observation here also on the evenings of the 5th, 6th, and 7th of De- 
cember, 1839. No accounts have reached us of observations at these 
dates in places where the sky was clear. 
Observations for meteors were made here on the evening of Octo- 
ber 8, 1839, and on the mornings (between 3h. 30m. and 5h. A. M.) 
of Octuber 9, 11, 16, but no unusual meteoric frequency was detected. 
The general radiation of the meteors was then from the region of the 
conste}lation Gemini. (See this Journal, Vol. xxxv, p. 366.) 
No intelligence has yet arrived h g the resultof meteoric 
observations at the August epoch in southern latitudes. It would not 
ee 
* It is Sage that they were seen simultaneously at Middlebury and at New 
Haven, (see 260,) the time being uncertain within three or four minutes. 
Vol. soa No, 2,—Jan.-March, 1840, 48 
