FEBRUARY. 47 



C. — How can this be ascertained ? 



F. — By the same Aurora being visible from distant 

 parts of the world at the same moment. 



C. — But if I rightly recollect, Captain Parry records an 

 instance in which he saw a beam of the Aurora Borealis 

 shoot down between him and an opposite hill, not more than 

 a mile or two distant. 



F. — I suppose that to have been a very uncommon 

 case. 



C, — Have you ever heard any sound accompanying it ? 



F. — Never : though I have seen very many, and some 

 very splendid ones ; and though I have often eagerly and 

 intently listened : yet I cannot doubt the fact ; for I have 

 been assured by persons of undoubted veracity, that they 

 have distinctly heard an accompanying sound, though ex- 

 ceeding rarely. Some of these individuals could not be sus- 

 pected of having taken the idea from books, yet the charac- 

 ter of the sound attributed to the Am'ora exactly agrees in 

 all the recorded instances in which it has been heard. It 

 was described to me as being like the rustling of a silk flag 

 in a smart breeze. These were all heard in Newfoundland, 

 where it is much more common than in this country. For 

 two or three years past w^e have had a very brilliant coloured 

 Aurora about this time: in February, 1837, the whole of 

 the sky appeared of a splendid crimson, which was reflected 

 from the surface of the snow beneath, and had almost an 

 awful, though very beautiful appearance. I saw a fine one, 

 though inferior to this, on the evening of the 2 1 st of Feb- 

 ruary, 1838, of which I recorded some particulars. I first 

 observed it about half past eight o'clock ; a long, low, irregu- 

 lar arch of bright yellow light extended from the north-east 

 to the north-west, the lower edge of which was well defined ; 

 the sky beneath this arch was clear and appeared black, but 

 it was only by contrast with the light, for on examination^ I 



