412 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



at night, and the wind to blow with an overpowering im- 

 petuosity. At half past two on the morning of the 7th, 

 Mr. Auber observed several globes of fire moving upon the 

 sea, at various distances from the shore, whilst others re- 

 mained stationary. One of them, from its position, ap- 

 peared to be on the top of the Montaneta of Realejo, and 

 caused him to suppose that that extinct volcano was going 

 to threaten the valley of Orotava with an eruption ; but he 

 was soon undeceived, by observing that the globe moved 

 about on the surface of the water like the others, and at 

 some distance from the spot where he first thought it was 

 situated. These luminous globes appeared to move towards 

 the south west, arid follow the direction of the waves. The 

 light which they spread in the atmosphere, extended more 

 than 45 high ; and although he was three miles off, it was 

 often sufficiently strong to enable him to read rather small 

 print ; but no detonation was heard. The number of globes 

 increased from half past two o'clock till four, when they 

 began to diminish. Mr. Auber, at one period of his obser- 

 vations, counted fourteen moving about at one time, but the 

 glare of light which he perceived on his right, where the 

 surrounding houses bounded his view, caused him to sup- 

 pose their number to be much more considerable. Their 

 duration was from one minute, to five or six, but seldom 

 longer ; and their apparent diameter was about the half of 

 that of the moon at her full, when she reaches the zenith. 

 When they had all disappeared, the darkness was extreme, 

 and he could not see the neighboring houses; but a quarter 

 of an hour afterwards, the reappearance of the same globes, 

 or the formation of new ones, allowed him to see the island 

 of Palma, though nearly sixty miles distant. The rain fell 

 with equal force whilst these globes were appearing on the 

 sea and after their disappearance. It was mentioned, that 

 a globe of fire had fallen at the foot of the mountain of 

 Tygayga, which bounds the valley of Orotava to the west, 



