62 METEOROLOGICAL 



rain on the 10th of September. He took shelter 

 in the Chateau de Fosdinovo (in the province of 

 Massa- Carrara, in Italy ), and was standing at a 

 window on the ground-floor,, when a bright light 

 appeared upon the pavement. This light, which 

 in colour appeared to be white and blue, was very 

 unsteady or vibrating, but had no progressive 

 motion ; it disappeared as it had made its appear- 

 ance, that is, suddenly, but not until it had ac- 

 quired a great size. The moment it vanished, 

 Maffei felt a slight itching on his shoulder, a little 

 plaster fell from the ceiling of the room, and a 

 cracking noise was heard, very different from that 

 of thunderi 



A flame which rose from the ground and 

 maintained itself at three feet from the floor of 

 the church St. Michel, at Dijon, was noticed by 

 the Abbe Richard, on the 2nd July, 1750. This 

 flame rose afterwards to twelve or fifteen feet in 

 height, increased considerably in volume, and dis- 

 appeared near the organ of the church with a loud 

 explosion. 



These phenomena are evidently allied to atmo- 

 spheric electricity, as they manifest themselves 

 during storms; but F. Arago distinctly states 

 ('Annuaire/ 1838, p. 371) : "it appears that great 

 luminous meteors, similar to lightning in their 

 nature, show themselves sometimes at the surface 

 of the globe, even when the sky does not appear 



