f>34 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO I762. 



east to west : on the west side, towards the end, the pillars become very large and 

 confused, as those to the east of the Giant's-causeway, and in the isle of Mull ; 

 except that these are divided by such a sparry substance into a great number of 

 small figures, which seem to go down through them. There are spots and veins 

 of a whitish stone in the pillars. There is no sign of any thing of this kind in 

 any of the rocks near, that he could observe, or hear of. 



XVI 11. Of a remarkable Meteor seen at Oxford. By the Rev. John Swinton, 

 B.D., of Christ- Churchy Oxon. F.R.S. p. 99. 

 On Sunday, Sept. 21, 1760, from &" 49"" to 7^ 25'" p. m. such a meteor ap- 

 peared at Oxford as Mr. S. had never seen before. [See fig. 2. pi. J 4.] A dark 

 cloud, like a pillar or column of thick black smoke, and perpendicular to the 

 horizon, appeared in the n. w. pushing gradually forward towards the zenith, 

 and at last extending itself almost to the opposite part of the heavens. It was at 

 first several degrees broad, but grew broader and broader, as it approached the 

 zenith ; through which it passed, and nearly bissected the hemisphere, in a won- 

 derful manner. At 7^ this surprising arch, falling little short of a semicircle, that 

 would have resembled an iris, had not the colours of it been diflferent, seemed to 

 be completely formed. He says, " had not the colours of it been different ;" 

 because the lower part was exceedingly black, but the other subfuscus only and 

 white. The exterior limb of this arch as far as the vertex was tinged with a pale 

 yellow, that gave it no disagreeable appearance. The edges of it were at first 

 tolerably smooth, and pretty well defined, but afterwards became rugged and 

 irregular. The whole moved with the wind, from the first to the last moment 

 of its existence. For a few minutes, it rendered the jnoon absolutely invisible. 

 That planet had, for a considerable time before its approach, been somewhat 

 darkened by the thick hazy air ; which however did not totally obscure it. The 

 tract near the northern part of the horizon, contiguous to the meteor, was inter- 

 spersed with fuscous caliginous clouds, and that near the zenith with some of a 

 whitish colour. All of them were very distinguishable from the phenomenon 

 itself. They became gradually paler and paler, till they were entirely dispersed. 

 About 7*^ 25"" p. M. all remains of the meteor were so perfectly dissipated, that 

 not the faintest traces of them were to be seen. That this phenomenon was a 

 water-spout, or rather the first appearance of one, though the proper spout itself 

 was not visible, will perhaps not be denied, Mr. S. says, by any person mode- 

 rately versed in natural history. The weather was mild, or rather wann, the 

 whole day. The wind, during the continuance of the phenomenon, and almost 

 ever since, was w. s. w. though it did not then exceed a very gentle gale. Indeed 

 the weather for 3 months before was, with very little intermission, hot and ex- 

 ceedingly dry, such as generally precedes meteors of this kind. As the phe- 



