VOL. XLVI.] PHILOSOFHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 68 



serves, was not cut in straight lines, but in the form of a circle. This inscrip- 

 tion Mr. Ward thinks may be thus read in the common Greek characters: 



M N A 



BAZIAErS M10PAAATHS EmATftP 



T012 ENTOS TOr TrMNAZIOr Em ATOPISTAIS 



rr<i>A vel rot<s>A aie2C2E. 



In Latin thus: 



Monumentum dedit 



Rex Mithridates Eupator Eupatoridis 



in gymnasio [vel intra gymnasium] 



Gypha [vel Gupha] servavit. 



The letters M N A stand by themselves over the rest, which are placed below 



them in the form of a circle. And the situation of these 3 letters shows over what 



words of the circular part they are placed. 



Abstracts of several Observations of Aurora Boreales lately seen. By Mr. Henry 



Baker, F.R.S. N° 405, p. 499. 



On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 1750, some unusual appearances were observed in the 

 sky, at London, and the towns about it, by thousands of people during the 

 whole evening, of which some accounts were laid before the r.s. And as ap- 

 pearances of the like kind were observed in the heavens, the same evening, at 

 great distances from London, the following is a description of what was seen at 

 the city of Norwich by Mr. Wm. Arderon, f.r.s.; and also of what was observed 

 at Wells (a little sea-port town in the same county of Norfolk, about 30 miles 

 nearly due north from Norwich) by Mr. Joseph Sparshal, and sent by him to Mr. 

 Arderon. 



This wonderful aurora began at 6 o'clock in the evening, at Norwich, with a 

 blackish cloud in the n. e., out of which sprang up a streak of scarlet-coloured 

 rays, of a surprizing beauty and vividness. This presently extended to within a 

 few degrees of the s.w. horizon, passing directly through the zenith, and so con- 

 tinuing near a quarter of an hour, when red and yellow columns began to rise 

 upwards from every quarter. At 7 o'clock a black cloud rose up in the s.e. and 

 quickly took a semicircular form, with light yellowish vapours ascending out of 

 its upper edge, and representing a glory of an uncommon brightness. At 8 

 o'clock the black cloud was dispersed, but the yellow glory remained ; and round 

 that sprang up another circle of red, which made the whole appear very tre- 

 mendous. The reddish streams, as well as this last mentioned circle were 

 sometimes s6 dense, that even stars of the first magnitude could not be seen 

 through them. 



On Tuesday Jan. 23, the air at W^ was clear and serene during the great- 



