Proceedings of the British Association. 337 
cially call attention to the extremely remarkable phenomena ex- 
hibited at Toronto on the 29th and 30th of May, when, by great 
good fortune, a most superb Aurora appeared at the very time of 
the term observations. The phenomena of this Aurora, which was 
remarkable for the extent and frequency of the pulsating waves, (al- 
luded to in the Report of the Couneil of the Royal Society, relating 
to this subject,) are very minutely and scientifically described by 
Mr. Riddell.* But what renders the occurrence presently inter- 
esting, is the fact, that during ‘he whole time of the visible ap- 
pearance of this aurora on the night from the 29th to the 30th, 
as well as for some hours previous, while it might be presumed 
to be in progress, though effaced by daylight, all the three mag- 
hetical instruments were thrown into a state of continual and 
very extraordinary disturbance. In fact, at 6h. 25m. in the morn- 
ing of the 29th, the disturbance in the magnetic declination du- 
ring asingle minute of time carried the needle over ten minutes 
of are; and during the most brilliant part of the evening’s dis- 
Play (from 3h. 25m. Gétt. m. t. to Ah. 35m.) the disturbances 
Were such as to throw the scales of both the vertical and hori- 
zontal force magnetometers out of the field of view, and to pro- 
duce a total change of declination, amounting to 1° 59. It 
ould also be remarked, that the greatest and most sudden dis- 
turbances were coincident with great bursts of the auroral stream- 
es. The correspondence or want of correspondence of these 
deviations with the perturbations of the magnetic elements ob- 
served in Europe and elsewhere on the same day, cannot fail to 
Prove of great interest. Should it fortunately have happened 
that Capt. Ross has been able to observe that term at Kerguelen’s 
Land, which is not very far from the antipodes of Toronto, an 
indication will be afforded whether or not the electric streams 
Ptoducing the aurora are to be regarded as diverging from one 
Magnetic pole or region, and converging to another. Your com- 
fnittee cannot conclude this report, without congratulating the 
Association and the scientific world in general on the extensive 
Interest inspired, and the vast range of observation consequently 
embraced by this operation, which, so far as any accounts have 
* Some notices of this auroral display have appeared in this Journal, (Vol 39, pp. 
14, 383.) It Was attended with a singular auroral belt, extending over head from 
‘0 west, which Was seen as far eastward at least as Nantucket, and westward 
Several hundred miles from that island.—Eps. : 4 
.* 
