Meterobgical Obfervations for the Year 1783. — 363 
were continually changing their form and fituation, moving with 
a waving or flafhing motion. At the fame time, there was'a 
bright glade or zone of light, compofed of very fine ftrie, S. 
of the zenith ; which extended acrofs the hemifphere, in the 
S. E. and S. W. points, within 25° of the horizon. The 
fouthern limb of the zone extended almoft as far as the cloudy 
ftar in Cancer,. which was nearly on the meridian. At 8^ 15°, 
the ftrie in the zone, and ftriated corrufcations from every other 
dire&ion, approached towards a common center in the neck of 
Leo major, and formed a kind of vortex, which foon became 
two fegments of a circle,and then changed into detached, flafh- 
ing clouds. At 50” after 8^, a very extenfive and denfe Auro- 
ral cloud was formed in the W. and N. W. with numerous 
ftrie curioufly turned around its heads and indentations, At 
half after g™, corrufcations from the N. extended beyond the. 
zenith. At 10", thelight appeared only in the N. and greatly 
diminifhed. There appeared to be an extremely rare fluid al- 
moft continually flafhing beneath the ftriated vapour, in various 
directions. . The wind at W. and very {mall till 10", when it 
breezed up frefh at N, W, At 10", therm. 53°, baromi 29, 
T 
72. Five preceding and feven following days fa." -Faint 
: 385 (i de 3 . northern 
* By a letter from the Revetend Dr. Siles, Prefident of 2 ales College, which I re- 
| ceived foon after, it appears, that the extent of this northern light near the zenith, 
and the meeting of the corrufcations, were obferved at New-Haven, Seis aed 
diftance 180. miles, S. W.) tovbe as far $. and nearly in the fame points in the 
heavens, as they were here: i; He fays; that ** At 8^ to’, the Auroral corrüfcations: 
€ Econ the eaftern, weftern and northern heavens, concurred in a center 12? S. of 
« the zenith, in a line from the two ftars ( Caffor and Polux) in the bead of Gemini 
« to Cor Leoniss Had it been at the fummit of the atmofphere, it muft have ap- 
ss peared 45° or 50° B. of the zenith, at the diftance of fifty miles N. of Neco- Haven $ 
«é and yet the Reverend Mr. Atcvaier, of Welford, fifty miles N. obferved it at 8* 
** 19l, very nearly in the fame place, and not S. of Cor Leonis 
t 
