262 Meteorological, Observations. 
hail daring tes winter, whic re much less than usual im Vermont; 
and we had no sleighing till the first of February, and it went off 
about the first of March. ‘The quantity of water which fell in rain, 
hail, and snow, was 58.5 inches, which was 22.4 inches more than 
fell during the twelve ronths preceding. —Vegetation was unusually 
forward the last =i. fruit trees were in full blossom about the 
first of May. - But ree within that month, we had eleven se- 
vere frosts, which destroy er all d the fruit in the vallies, and on the 
low-grounds throughout this. part « f the country. But the summer 
months were Scegsable for vegetation, and most of the. crops wore 
abundant. . 
“On examining my siiepeteed journal, which I have kept for 
many years, I find that the occurrence of the aurora» borealis has 
varied from ten to twenty eight nights, when I have noticed it in dif- 
ferent years; and that for ten years, previous to the last, the aver- 
age number of evenings when it has been seen, is eighteen, annur 
But. | the last twelve months the aurora has been visible 
on a. fifty six nights, which. is twice the number of any former year of 
which “lL have any record. During the year past, it has_ exhibited 
many interesting appearances, two of which. I. shall briefly. notice. 
The first occurred on the evening of the 14th of July —The after- 
noon of that day was showery, with lightning and thunder 3 but the 
evening was clear, except a black cloud low down in the north, 
The thermometer stood at 62°, and we had light breezes from the 
west. As soon as the day light clos 1 aurora borealis appeared 
above the dark cloud in the ‘north—and immediately it shot up in 
streams of diverging rays of light towards the zenith. These streams 
of rays would accumulate and dissolve in rapid succession, and. at 
10 o’clock the-onrthern part- of the heavens was brilliantly illumina- 
= At ES past ten an arch of yellowish white light appeared i a3 
: 30° above the horizon, which moved towards the 
pr with a gradual and equal motion, absorbing in. its course * all 
those streams of div erging rays before mentioned. At: half past 
eleven the arch passed the. zenith exhibiti g a broad and Juminous 
band in the heavens, which extended to the horizon on the east a0 
ble through it. After 
passing the zenith a few degrees, hie 
which gradually disappeared as they " s 
arch very much resembled that which occor 
28th of August, 1827, except that the light did not present the wa- 
ving motion which was then exhibited. 'The dark cloud in the north, 
