336 



IN STARRY REALMS. 



of matter so luminously set forth by the Hon. F. A. 

 Rollo Russell and Mr. E. Douglas Archibald, to present a 

 brief outline of this elaborately beautiful series of pheno- 

 mena and their cause. 



During the crisis on August 26-27, the volume of 

 material blown into the air was sufficiently dense to 

 obscure the coasts of Sumatra to such a degree that at 



PROGRESS OFTHE MAIN SKY PHENOMENA FROM AUG.26 (EVENING) toSEP.9. 1883. 



120 



60 60 40 20 O 20 40 60 60 U 



120 140 IgQ 180 



& 





N 



E^fi 







.S 



C^ 



* ----- 





160 I4O 120 



80 60 40 



Fig. 20. 



10 A.M. the darkness there is stated to have been more 

 intense than it is even in the blackest of nights. The 

 fire-dust ascended to an elevation which, as we have 

 already mentioned, is estimated to have been as much as 

 seventeen miles. Borne aloft into these higher regions of 

 our atmosphere, the clouds of dust at once became the 

 sport of the winds and the currents which may be found 

 there. If we had not previously known the prevailing 



