516 
Then appeared in the west a long broad band reaching to the 
zenith, consisting of a number of narrower bands, alternately 
red and bluish white, and through this the stars could be seen in 
their natural colour. At 9.30 the blood-red colour of the 
higher parts had almost disappeared, and long narrow streaks 
of yellowish white light extended up from the horizon. 
At the lower part of the whiter light, in a northerly direction, 
appeared shadows having a somewhat rectangular form. (The 
town lies just in front of where I was standing, so that these 
shadows may haye been caused by the ascending smoke. ) 
At 10.30 the red colour remained only in the west, and a 
narrow are of bluish white light extended from north ‘to about 
north-west, at about 25° above the horizon. The air was very 
calm, there being but a slight movement from the north-west. 
The moon was shining brightly all the time. Not having access 
to magnetic instruments 1 am unable to state how they were 
affected. On the 12th the barometer had fallen suddenly to 
28°5°, and a violent westerly wind prevailed all day. 
Dublin, Oct 18 T. W. Purvips 
Tuis evening, October 24, occurred one of the grandest dis- 
plays of auroral lights which has probably ever been witnessed 
in these latitudes. 
As I was, at a few minutes after seven o’clock, passing through 
the Observatory with the intention of observing with the helio- 
meter, my attention was attracted by the brightness of the 
northern portion of the sky. On going out into the North 
Garden, I perceived that this was due to a general illumination 
of the sky of about that intensity which is produced by the rising 
ofthe full moon on the sky immediately above it, the moon itself 
not being visible. The contrast between this white illuminated 
sky, and the deep ordinary blue on the south side of the zenith, 
was very striking, the two portions being with moderate accu- 
racy separated by the prime vertical. 
On the south side of the zenith was observed what appeared 
to be an illuminated cloud, extending nearly from the zenith in 
a south-easterly direction for about forty degrees. Finally, there 
was at this time a well-defined arch of light, corresponding 
pretty accurately in position with the equator, and visible from 
east to west nearly to the horizon.; and, beneath this arch, the 
sky was unusually dark, the darkness not being due to cloud or 
mist, as the stars were seen with their usual distinctness. 
There was a small tendency at intervals to a display of 
streamers, but they were not conspicuous. From these pheno- 
mena I was led to expect, in the course of the evening, a grand 
display of aurora, and I was quite prepared for the summons, 
which I received from Mr. Keating, the assistant on duty, at 
eight o’clock, to come down and witness it. 
The spectacle at this time was most magnificent. The northern 
portion of the heavens was nearly covered with crimson light of 
great intensity, and the sight was so fine that, for a few moments, 
T was occupied only with the admiration which it excited. 
On proceeding to observe it more particularly, I saw that it 
consisted mainly of two large sheets of crimson light, one chiefly 
on the east side of the sky and the other on the west. 
The eastern sheet extended generally from Polaris to Capella 
towards the zenith, which it did not, however, at this time quite 
reach. The most brilliant sets of streamers had their centres 
passing through these stars, and, after a few minutes, the extreme 
eastern portion was tolerably well defined by Perseus and 
Cassiopeia. 
The western sheet was equally well defined, as lying between 
a Lyre and a Aquila, but its brilliancy and the rapid change 
produced by the streamers were inferior to those exhibited in the 
other portion at the time when I observed it. 
It is also worthy of remark, that the two portions seemed to 
be connected by an illuminated fleecy or cirrus cloud a little 
south of the zenith. This apparent cloud was, I believe, also a 
portion of auroral light, as I examined it a few minutes after- 
wards when it exhibited more of the auroral character. 
At this time the portion of the eastern sheet, which had passed 
through Polaris, became separated from its more eastern portion 
passing through Capella, and tormed a distinct sheet, while the 
western sheet was apparently drifting still more towards the 
south-west. 
In a few minutes the intensity of the light diminished rapidly, 
and, as it was fading, my attention was attracted to a very beau- 
tiful feature in the phenomena exhibited, Just below the red light 
of the most western position, was a most brilliant bluish white 
light vaguely defined but very intense. It was most probably 
pure white, the bluish appearance being the effect of contrast 
NATURE 
[ Oct. 27, 1870 
with the red. The arch which I had observed earlier in the 
evening was now much brighter, and extended in the direction 
of the equator to the eastern portion of the heavens, where there 
was soon a similar effulgence of white light, but not quite so 
intense, 
The darkness of the sky (perfectly free from cloud) beneath 
the bright arch was now much more conspicuous than it had been 
in the earlier part of the evening. 
In a few minutes the whole faded away, 'and, excepting some 
small remains of the phenomena in the north, nothing unusual 
was visible. The grandest part of the phenomena continued 
for about half an hour, that is, from eight till half-past eight 
o'clock. Later in the evening a tolerably bright bank of auroral 
light was visible above the Northern horizon, and another 
brilliant display occurred, as described by Mr. Lucas. 
For a considerable time during the first display, Mr. Lucas 
was watching from the tower of the Observatory, where he 
commanded a full view of the northern half of the heavens, and 
saw, at about 85 15™ to 84 20™, an ill-defined dark segment along 
the north horizon, from which white streamers issued through the 
whole extent, very much resembling an ordinary aurora, but 
which might be easily passed over in the grandeur of the display. 
Mr. Lucas watched from 10 o’clock, but saw nothing except 
the white light extending under the Great Bear, till ro 30™, at 
which time white streamers shot up to Polaris and Beta Cephei, 
changing to intense red. At 11" ro™ two sets of streamers 
appeared, one near Alpha and Beta Ursze Majoris, and the other 
a little to the east of Beta Draconis, the former going eastward to 
A Ursze Majoris, and the latter westward past Gamma Draconis. 
These were succeeded by some at Alpha Lyrae, combining with 
the last mentioned, and the mass, of an intense red colour, 
travelled slowly to Alpha Aquilae, where it remained for a con- 
siderable time, as did that of Ursa Major, while the part of the 
heavens appeared perfectly clear. At 11 30" streamers again 
shot up at Beta Urs Minoris, and between Gamma Draconis 
and Alpha Lyre for a short time, and a few faint indications were 
visible till a little after 12, when the sky appeared to have 
regained its usual appearance. 
From the relation of others it appears that another brilliant 
display took place still later in the night. ‘ 
R. MAIn, 
Oxford, Oct. 26 Radcliffe Observer 
HAv1nG occasion to leave my house at 6.40 (the time given is 
Greenwich mean time throughout, and the bearings and direc- 
tions were estimated from the pole-star, not compass) this 
evening, I was immediately struck with an unusual amount of 
uniformly diffused white light in the west and north-west. Ina very 
few minutes a band of the same colour, but brighter, appeared, 
extending continuously across the sky, from W.S. W. to E.N.E. 
It was sharply defined, somewhat variable in breadth, but com- 
monly about 6°. It lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour, and 
gradually disappeared, from the east westward. The diffused 
light, previously mentioned, remained unaffected. There were 
a few clouds in the south, but none elsewhere. 
From 7.15 I went out of doors at intervals of a quarter of an 
hour to observe, but saw nothing but the diffused light already 
spoken of, which seemed to have acquired a greenish tinge, 
until 8 o’clock ; when there was a band, broader than that first 
noticed, and of fiery rose colour, which extended from due east 
or not more than a degree or two north of it, towards the west, 
becoming gradually fainter in the latter direction. In a very few 
minutes the band became continuous from east to west, from 10 to 
12° broad, and at the meridian, whereit culminated, about 54° above 
the horizon at its upper edge, as estimated from the immersion of 
the pole-star within it, and which was occasionally much obscured 
by it. The red colour was equally pronounced in the east and in 
the west, but less so at the meridian and for about 15° on each 
side of it. Below the band, from N.W. to N.E. the sky was 
free from the red colour, but still retained the greenish diffused 
light. Soon after the formation of the complete band, streamers, 
varying from white to various degrees of red, shot up from every 
part of the northern half of the horizon towards the zenith, 
beyond which some of themextended. Those from the north, 
chiefly of white light, crossed the band at right angles, whilst 
the others cut it more and more obliquely according as they were 
nearer to the east and west. I watched it continuously with a 
large party of friends until something after half-past eight, and 
then left it in full vigour. Before nine it had in great measure 
