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live facts which verify the interesting conclusion ; 

 particularly one by a gentleman of Macclesfield, who 

 was much struck with the extraordinary luminosity of 

 the sea, off the mouth of the Mersey, before a dreadful 

 storm, in which two packets were wrecked on that part 

 of the coast. We believe we may claim the priority 

 of considering the luminous appearance of the sea, in 

 its increase of brilliancy or appearance on the coast, 

 as connected with this new meteorological feature 

 the coming storm. These circumstances led us to 

 investigate more particularly the phenomenon on our 

 own shores; and the luminosity which the sea pre- 

 sented some years ago engaged our attention. It was 

 succeeded by a gale, and may perhaps be considered 

 its presage : the sea sparkled with great brilliancy, and 

 seemed to reflect a miniature celestial scene. A more 

 attentive survey appeared to present at least two distinct 

 phenomena of this description : one seemed to scintillate 

 and was minute ; while the other exhibited an undu- 

 latory movement of the phosphoric kind, apparently 

 commencing at the centre, and diverging in concentric 

 circles to the edge of the discs, sometimes apparently 

 an inch in diameter. Immediately before the gale, we 

 saw a solitary gleam ; but during its continuance could 

 discover none, as to the waves, at least, which washed 

 the shore. In reference to the connection of the lu- 

 minosity of the sea with the storm, this idea was first 

 sustained in our paper, transmitted November, 1819, 

 to the Wernerian Society, and since published in their 

 Transactions. The following extract, from " Prince 

 Maximillian's Travels in Brazil," would countenance 

 the same view of it : " During a storm the sea was 

 very luminous, the intermediate surface of the ocean 

 seemed to be on fire, and day after day the storm con- 

 tinued to rage with unabated fury." We feel inclined 



