Dark days of Canada. 23i 



more particularly distinguished has never, to luy know- 

 ledge, been made, I propose in the present paper to offer 

 to the society such accounts of tliese phenomena as 1 have 

 been able to collect, with a iew observations, which I liope 

 will not be thought unworthy of their attention. 



The first dark day of which we have any detailed account, 

 was Sunday, the IGth of October, 1785. On the ninth of 

 thai month, a short period of obscurity occurred at Quebec, 

 about four in the afternoon, and during its continuance 

 the sky in the north-east quarter below the city, exhibited 

 aluminous appearance upon the line of the horizon, of a 

 yellow tinge. On the fifteenth, about three o'clock in the 

 afternoon, there was a repetition of the same luminous 

 appearance in the horizon, in the same quarter, the north- 

 east, accompanied by a seconil period of obscurity, some- 

 what longer in duration than the first. Both of these 

 periods were accompanied by violent gusts of wind, by 

 lliunder, lightning, and rain.* 



The Morning of Sunday, the IGth of October, 1/85, was 

 perfectly calm, and there was a thick fog, but the fog waa 

 nothing more than what is often seen at that season of the 

 year ; towards nine o'clock, a light air from the north-east 

 sprung up, which increaseil i'ai)idly. The fog, by ten 

 o'clock, was entirely dissipated ; black clouds were then 

 seen rapidly ailvancing from tlie north-east, and by half 

 after ten, it was so dark, that printing of the most usual 

 type could not be read ; this lasted for upwards of ten 

 minutes, and was succeeded l)y a violent gust of wind, with 

 rain, thunder, and lightning, after which the weatlier 

 becauic brighter, until twelve o'clock, ^^ hen a second 



* Clm Ih-c (;ai<'lli-, UOth Octolxi, 1 783. 



