28a 



i\EW ENGLAND FARMER. 



CONTENTED FARMER. 

 Give me the lot erf" one who moves 



Contented iu a liumble sphere, 

 Who gains respect from all he loves, 



And dreads no lurking envy near. 

 For such a man each rolling year, 



Brings round a double share of joy ; 

 His mind, of stormy passions clear, 



Befits his innocent employ. 

 Though fortune smiles upon a throne. 

 Contentment smiles on liim alone. 



He cultivates his native soil, 



In plain but comely dress attir'd ; 

 The social pipe beguiles that toil 



Which has with strength his limbs inspired. 

 Great Cincinnatus oft retir'd, 



To live on his paternal field, 

 (When war's last trumpet sound cxpir'd) 



And felt more joy than victories yield. 

 A little spot was all his gain — 

 A People's love his large domain. 



[Providence Paper. 



AURORA BOREALIS, OR NORTHERN LIGHT. 



In the north-eastern parts of Siberia, the 

 northern lights are observed to begin with sin- 

 gle bright pillars, rising in the north, and al- 

 most at the same time in the north-east, which 

 gradually increasing comprehend a large space 

 of the heavens, rush about from placeto place 

 with incredible velocity, and finally almost cover 

 the whole sky iip to the zenith, and produce an 

 appearance as if a vast tent was expanded in 

 the heavens, glittering with gold, rubies and 

 sapphire. A more beautiful spectacle cannot 

 be imagined ; but whoever should see such a 

 northern light for the first time, could not be- 

 hold it without terror. For however fine the 

 illumination may be, it is attended with such a 

 hissing, crackling, and rushing noise through the 

 air, as if the largest fire works were playing ofi". 

 The hunters who pursue the white foxes on 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. 



Similar lights, called aurorce australes, have 

 been observed in the southern hemisphere. — 

 They differ, however, from those in the north, 

 in being always of a whitish color, whereas 

 those ot our hemisphere assume various hues, 

 but are generally of a fiery or purple color. 



In the Shetland Isles, these lights are called 

 the mcrnj dancers, and serve to enliven the long 

 winter nights. There they often cover the 

 whole hemisphere, and make a very brilliant 

 appearance. Their motions are then very rapid, 

 and their forms very various. They break out 

 in places where nonu were seen before, skim- 

 ming briskly along the heavens, and are sud- 

 denly extinguished, leaving behind them a uni- 

 form dusky track. This is again illuminated in 

 the same manner, and as suddenly left a dull 

 bhmk. la certain nights, they assume the ap- 

 pearance of vast column.s, on one side of the 

 deepest yellow, on the other declining away 

 till It becomes undistinguished from the sky. 

 They have generally a strong tremulous motion 

 Iroin the end, which continues till the whole 

 vanishes. In a word, we, who only see the ex- 

 tremities of these northern phenomena, have but 

 a lamt idea ol their grandeur, or their motions. 



According to the state ot the atmosphere, they 

 differ in color ; they often put on that of blood, 

 and make an awful appearance. 



The periods of the appearance of these north- 

 ern lights are very variable. In some years 

 they occur frequently, and in others are more 

 rare ; and it has been observed that they are 

 most common about the time of the equinoxes. 



There have been many speculations and con- 

 jectures respecting the cause of the Aurora 

 Borealis. It is now generally supposed that 

 northern lights as well as lerial meteors are 

 caused by that universal and all powerful agent 

 electricity. A writer in the Encyclopedia Brit- 

 tannica gives the following solution of the man- 

 ner in which he supposes the electric fluid ope- 

 rates to produce these and other phenomena. 

 He assumes three axioms, viz: that all electric 

 bodies, when considerably heated, become con- 

 ductors of electricity ; that, non-electrics, when 

 subjected to violent degrees of cold, become 

 electric ; and that cold increases the electric 

 poHcrs of such substances as are already elec- 

 tric. From these premises he proceeds to de- 

 duce the causes of the aurora borealis as foL 

 lows : — 



" The air all round the globe at a certain 

 height above its surface, is found to be exceed- 

 ingly cold, and as far as experiments have yet 

 determined, exceedingly electric also. The in- 

 ferior parts of the atmosphere between the tro- 

 pics^ are violently heated during the day time 

 by the reflection of the sun's rays from the earth. 

 Such air will therefore be a kind of conductor, 

 and much more readily part with its electricity 

 to the clouds and vapors floating in it, than the 

 colder air towards the north and south poles. 

 Hence the prodigious appearances of electricity 

 in these regions, shewing themselves io thunder 

 and other tempests of the most terrible kind. 

 In the temperate and frigid zones, the inferior 

 parts of the atmosphere never being so strongly 

 heated, do not part with their electricity so ea- 

 sily as in the torrid zone, and consequently do 

 not require such recruits from the upper re- 

 gions ; but notwithstanding the difference of 

 heat oliserved in different parts of the earth 

 near the surface, it is very probable that at con- 

 siderable heights, the degrees of cold are nearly 

 equal all round it. Were there a like equality 

 in the heat of the under part, there could never 

 be any considerable loss of equilibrium in the 

 electricity of the atmosphere ; but as the hot 

 air of the torrid zone is perpetually bringing 

 down vast quantities of electric matter from the 

 cold air that lies directly above it ; and as the 

 inferior parts of the atmosphere lying toward 

 the north and south poles do not conduct in any 

 great degree ; it thence follows that the upper 

 parts of the atmosphere, lying over the torrid 

 zone will continually require a supply from the 

 northern and southern regions. This easily 

 shows the necessity ol' an electric current in 

 the upper parts of the atmosphere from each 

 pole towards the equator ; and thus we are also 

 furnished with a reason why the aurora borealis 

 appears more frequently in winter than in sum- 

 mer ; namely, Lecaiise at that time the electric 

 power of the inferior atmosphere is greater on 

 account of the cold than in summer; and con- 

 sequently the abundant electricity of the upper 

 regions must go almost wholly off to the equa- 

 torial parts, it being impossible for it to get 

 down to the earth. 



Mr. Kirwan supposes that the rarefaction 

 the atmosphere in the polar regions procee 

 from the northern and southern lights, and the 

 lights are produced by a combustion of infla 

 mable air, which is kindled by electricity. Tl 

 inflammable air is generated, particularly I 

 tween the tropics, by many natural operatioi 

 such as the putrefaction of animal and vegetal 

 substances, volcanoes, &c. and being lighter th 

 any other, occupies of course the highest i 

 gions of the atmosphere. Mr. Kirwan farth 

 adds, that after the appearance of an aurc 

 borealis, the barometer generally falls, and 

 commonly followed by high winds, proceed! 

 from the south ; all which facts strongly pro 

 a rarefaction in the northern regions. 



It is observed by Mr. Winn (Phil. Trans, v 

 73.) that the appearance of an aurora borea 

 IS a certain sign of a hard gale of wind fri 

 the south or south west. This occurred wi 

 out fail, in twenty-three instances ; and 

 thinks that the splendor of the northern lig 

 will enable the observer to form some judgmi 

 concerning the ensuing tempest. If the aun 

 is bright, the gale will conae on within twen 

 four hours, but will be of short duration ; if I 

 light is faint and dull, the gale will be less v 

 leut, and longer in coming on, but will 1 

 longer. 



Dr. Franklin in some of his philosophical 

 says accounts for the aurora borealis on pric 

 pies of electricity. He premises the follow 

 electric phenomena. 1. That all new fal 

 snow has much positive electricity standing 

 its surface. 2. That about twelve degrees 

 latitude round the poles are covered will 

 crust of eternal ice, which is impervious to 

 electric fluid. 3. That the dense part of 

 atmosphere rises but a few miles high, and 1 

 in the rarer parts of it the electric fluid ■ 

 pass to almost any distance. Hence he sup 

 ses there must be a great accumulation of p 

 itive electric matter on the fresh fallen snow 

 the polar regions; which, not being able top 

 through the crust of ice into the earth, m 

 rise into the thin air of the upper parts of ( 

 atmosphere, which will the least resist its p 

 sage; and passing towards the equator desce 

 again into the dense atmosphere, and ther 

 into the earth in silent and invisible streai 

 This theory of Dr. Franklin is essentially t 

 same with that of the writer in the Encycloj 

 dia Brittannica above quoted. 



(to be continued.) 



Admiral Lord Howe, when a captain, fl 

 once hastily awakened in the middle of t 

 night by the lieutenant of the watch, who 

 formed him, with great agitation, that the sh 

 was on fire near the magazine. " If that 

 the case" said he, rising leisurely to put on 1 

 clothes, " we shall soon hear another report 

 the matter." The lieutenant flew back to ti 

 scene of danger, and almost instantly returnio 

 exclaimed, " You need not, sir, be afraid, tl 

 fire is extinguished." " Afraid !" exclaimi 

 Howe, " what do you mean by that sir? 1 ne 

 er was afraid in my life ;" and looking the lie 

 tenant full in the face, he added, " Pray, ho 

 does a man/ee/, sir, when he is afraid? I net 

 not ask how he looks.'''' 



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