70 Analyses of Books. [July, 



From the acc.leration "S^&SB ****<«$* *» 



between equaU)r * earth. 



London and Brassa '0055066 tttt 



London and Hare Island . . '0065139 -nVr 



Brassa and Hare Island. . . '0055082 ttt-t 



London and Melville Island -0055258 T ^ TV 



Aurora Borea/is. 



On the evening of January 15, Capt. Parry saw the only very 

 brilliant and diversified display of Aurora Borealis which occurred 

 during the whole winter, of which Capt. Sabine has given the 

 following account : 



"Mr. Edwards, from whom we first heard that the Aurora was 

 visible, described it as forming a complete arch, having its legs 

 nearly north and south of each other, and passing a little to the 

 eastward of the zenith. When I went upon the ice, the arch 

 had broken up ; towards the southern horizon was the ordinary 

 Aurora, such as we had lately seen on clear nights, being a pale 

 light, apparently issuing from behind an obscure cloud, at from 

 six to twelve degrees of altitude, extending more or less towards 

 the east or west on different nights, and at different times of the 

 same night, having no determined centre or point of bisection, 

 the greater part, and even at times the whole of the luminous 

 appearance being sometimes to the east, and sometimes to the 

 west of south, but rarely seen in the northern horizon, or beyond 

 the east and west points of the heavens. This corresponds with 

 the Aurora most commonly noticed in Britain, except that it is 

 there as peculiar to the northern as here to the southern horizon, 

 occasionally shooting upwards in rays and gleams of light. It 

 was not distinguished by any unusual brilliancy or extent on this 

 occasion, the splendid part of the phenomenon being detached, 

 and apparently quite distinct. 



" The luminous arch had broken into irregular masses, stream- 

 ing with much rapidity in different directions, varying conti- 

 nually in shape and intensity, and extending themselves from 

 N by E to S. If the surface of the heavens be supposed to 

 be divided by a plane passing through the meridian, the aurora 

 was confined, durina; the time I saw it, to the eastern side of the 

 plane, and was usually most vivid, and in larger masses, in the 

 ESE than elsewhere. * Mr. Parry and I noticed to each other 

 that where the aurora was very brilliant, the stars seen through 

 it were somewhat, dimmed, though this remark is contrary to 

 former experience. 



"The distribution of light has been described "as irregular and 

 in constant change ; the various masses, however, seemed to 

 have a tendency to arrange themselves into two arches, one 

 passing near the zenith, and a second about midway, between 

 the zenith and horizon, both having generally a north and south 



