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 j 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 Aurora 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 we 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 



