Intelligence and Miscellanies. 171 
tress, and also to the Roman armies, leading them to victory. 
ta atter was nothing more than the electric fluid on their 
ears. I recollect hearing Professor Silliman, in one of his 
locke relate a case nearly similar, of the late Mr. Whitney 
aven. He was riding on horseback, near East 
Rock in the vicinity of that town, during a night thun- 
whip, stirrups, and every prominent a His own person 
and that of an attendant, were tipped in the same manner. 
Similar appearances, probably suggested to Virgil, the fic- 
tion of the flame about Ascanius’ head, the night Troy was 
~ sailors call them complaisants, hom Corpo Santo:) 
I went among them yesterday, to discover whether such ap- 
quarter-masters: most of them had followed the sea from 
their youth. [found each had seen them three or four times 
before, and that they occur most frequently among the West 
Indi hey tell me, they often appear on the lower yards 
first, and ascend as the storm abates, “ Well,” I asked, 
“what do you think they are?” ae shook their heads— 
it was a hard question. At last one s usly ; 
“Til tell you sir, what I think hep are: they are foul air 
that the wind rolls together into a —. it gets a little a0 
ning in it and sticks fast on the Es 
the horizon, appearing to shut us up forever to the treacher- 
ous element, while a broad heavy mass rolled on, over head, 
“noctem hiemem mque ferens.” Nothing else could be seen 
-except the North Carolina, [the flag line of battle ship, an 
indistinct mass, severa miles distant. She too faded 
came a misty speck, but the usual at was raised at 
mizen-top to govern our course. But this pri des p- 
in her direction, ‘ahed suddenly another light appeared, a 
mere point in the distance ; it spread and apa — 
then shot up so as to lighten the whole stern and’ sans. t 
