62 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



the more aftonifh natural philofophers, as It 

 fhould feem that this circumftance ought to 



diminifhed the clafticity of the air, inftead 

 of incrcafing it ; befides, nothing announced 

 that this fog was occafioned by the explofion of 

 a volcano. 



On the 3d of January 1792, we enjoyed the 

 fight of a rainbow, produced by the rays of the 

 moon : this planet was, about ten o'clock at 

 Bight, furrounded by two concentric circles ; 

 they exhibited all the colours of the rainbow in 

 an order oppofed to each other. The largeft of 

 thele circles did not occupy more than five de- 

 grees in the heavens. As this phenomenon, 

 produced by the decompofition of the light of 

 the moon, appeared between her and us, the 

 colours of the iris muft neceflarily prefent them- 



- in the inverle order of thole which the 

 fun difplays ; lincc, in this latter cafe, thefpeela- 

 tur is between the rainbow and the planet ; ac- 

 cordingly, the finallcit circle, which gave to its 

 inner edge a red colour, was terminated out- 

 wardly by a violet colour, while the violet 

 the inner edge of the largeft circle, and 

 niter edge. 



in the latitude of 32 42' fouth, 

 ami longitude 7 weft. 



- the 7th of January, in the afternoon, we 



panned 



