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142 DarJciicss in Canada, Ovioher, 1785. 



after three o'clock, it was total darkness; and from thirty five 

 till forty five minutes after four/it was very dark. The peo- 

 ple in this city dined by candle light ; and spent a part of the 

 afternoon in lighting up, and extinguishing them. Each 

 period of darkness was followed by gusts of wind and rain, 

 with some severe claps of thunder, and the atmosphere 

 looked as before described. It was remarked, that on the 

 days before mentioned, there appeared to be two adverse cur- 

 rents of air, the "uppermost impelling a luminous strata of 



u 



clouds towards the N. E. and the lower driving with great 

 rapidity broken misty clouds towards the S. W. and that 

 the rain water which fell on Sunday during those gusts, was 



almost blacl 



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3Iontreal October 20th 



"ON Sunday the 16th instant, the air was darkened by 

 a thick fog, which dissipated about ten o'clock. The at- 

 mosphere was of a luminous, fiery colour. About two 

 o'clock in the afternoon, it became dark by degrees, in such 

 a manner, that about half an hour after" two, people could 

 not see one another in the houses. This lasted twenty mi- 

 nutes, and was followed by lightnincr* thunder, and rain, 



which gradually diminished the darkness : it was however, 



difficult to read without candle light at three o'clock. 



came on 



This period was of short duration, for the darl 



again at seven minutes past three ; and it grew by degrees a; 



dark as before, insomuch that no ni-ht ever was more ob 



than 



It was at this time. The black clouds dispersed 

 about fourteen minutes past three; but lightning, thunder, 

 and a heavy rain continued till about half after five." 



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