AURORA BOREALIS. 



cjuiek; and they astonish the spectator 

 with the rapid change of their form. 

 They break out in places where none 

 were seen before, skimming briskly 

 along the heavens, are suddenly extin- 

 guished, and are succeeded by an uniform 

 dusky tract. This again is brilliantly il- 

 luminated in the same manner, and as 

 suddently left a dark space. In some 

 nights they assume the appearance of 

 large columns, on one side ofthe'deepest 

 yellow, and on the other gradually 

 changing, till it becomes undistinguished 

 from the sky. They have generally a 

 strong tremulous motion from one end to 

 the other, and this continues till the 

 whole vanishes. As for us, who see only 

 the extremities of these northern phe- 

 nomena, we can have but a faint idea of 

 theii 1 splendour arrl motions. According 

 to the state of the atmosphere, they dif- 

 fer in colour ; and sometimes assuming 

 the colour of blood, they make a dread- 

 ful appearance. The rustic sages, who 

 observe them, become prophetic, and 

 terrify the spectators with alarms of war, 

 pestilence, and famine: nor, indeed, were 

 these superstitious presages peculiar to 

 the northern islands: appearances of a 

 similar nature arc of ancient date; and 

 they were distinguished by the appella- 

 tions of" phasmata," "trabes," and " bo- 

 lides," according to'J their forms and co- 

 lours. In old times they were either more 

 rare, or less frequently noticed : but 

 when they occurred, they were suppos- 

 ed lo portend great events, and the 

 timid imagination formed of them aerial 

 conflicts. 



In the northern latitudes of Sweden 

 and Lapland, the aurorae borealis are not 

 only singularly beautiful in their appear- 

 ance, but afford travellers, by their al- 

 most constant effulgence, a very beauti- 

 ful light during the whole night. In Hud- 

 son's bay, the aurora borealis diffuses a 

 variegated splendour, which is said to 

 equal that of the full moon. In the north- 

 eastern parts of Siberia; according to the 

 description of Gmelin, these northern 

 lights are observed to "begin with sin- 

 gle bright pillars rising in the north, and 

 almost at the same time in the north-east, 



P which, gradually increasing, comprehend 

 a large space of the heavens, rush about 

 from place to place with incredible velo- 

 city, and, finally, almost cover the whole 

 sky up to the zenith, and produce an ap- 

 pearance as if a vast tent was expanded 

 in the heavens, glittering with gold, ru- 

 bies, and sapphire. A more beautiful 

 spectacle cannot be painted ; but who- 

 ever should see such a northern light for 



the first time, could not behold it without 

 terror. For, however fine the illumina- 

 tion may be, it is attended, as I have learn- 

 ed from the relation of many persons, 

 with such a hissing, cracking, and rush- 

 ing noise through the air, as if the largest 

 fire-works were playing off. To describe 

 what they then hear, they make use of 

 the expression 'spolochi chodjat,' that is, 

 'the raging host is passing.' The hun- 

 ters, who pursue the white and blue 

 foxes in the confines of the Icy sea, are 

 often overtaken in their course by these 

 northern lights. Their dogs are then so 

 much frightened, that they will not move, 

 but lie obstinately on the ground, till the 

 noise has passed. Commonly, clear and 

 calm weatherfollowsthiskind of northern 

 lights. I have h^ardthis account, not from 

 one person only, but confirmed by the 

 uniform testimony of many, who have 

 spent part of sc-veral years in these very 

 northern regions, and inhabited different 

 countries, from the Yenisei to the Lena ; 

 so that no doubt of its truth can remain. 

 This seems indeed to be the real birth 

 place of the aurora borealis." 



This account of the noises attending 

 the aurora borealis, allowing for some de- 

 gree of exaggeration, has been corro- 

 borated by other testimonies. A person, 

 who resided seven years at Hudson's Bay, 

 confirms M. Gmelin's relation of the fine 

 appearance and brilliant colours of the 

 northern lights, and particularly of their 

 rushing noise, which he affirms he has 

 frequently heard, and compares it to the 

 sound produced by whirling round a 

 stick swiftly at the end of a string. A 

 similar noise has also been heard in Swe- 

 den. Mr. Nairne, also, being in North- 

 ampton at a time when the northern 

 lights were remarkably bright, is confi- 

 dent he perceived a hissing or whizzing 

 sound. Mr Belknap, of Dover, in New- 

 Hampshire, North America, testifies to 

 this fact. M. Cavallosays, that the crack- 

 ling noise is distinctly audible, and that 

 he has heard it more than once. Similar 

 lights, called aurorx australes, have been 

 long since observed towards the south 

 pole, and their existence has been more 

 lately ascertained by Mr. Forster, who 

 assures us, that, in his voyage round the 

 world with Captain Cooke, he observed 

 them in high southern latitudes, though 

 attended with phenomena somewhat dif- 

 ferent from those which are seen here. 

 On February 17, 1773, in south latitude 

 58, " a beautiful phenomenon (he bays) 

 was observed during the preceding 

 night, which appeared this and several 

 following nights. It consisted of long 1 co- 



