Dec. 6, 1883] 



NA TURE 



131 



graphintheZ'rt/VviVta/jreportsthemfrom Bideford, Devon, 

 on Monday, 26th, soon after 5 p.m.; 27th, a.m. ; and from 

 9.45, a " dusky orange and rosy band round the sun," till 

 hidden by clouds at noon ; 28th, p.m., 29th, a.m., and 

 coloured " bands " again round the sun at \ i a.m. To me 

 the glare never seemed as if reflected from cirrus clouds ; 

 it was much more like that from the smoke-originated 

 clouds of manufacturing districts. The day effect was 

 evidently from the same cause as the after-glow. May it 

 not help us to connect it with the ''green sun" pheno- 

 menon of India.' In that case the possible connection 

 of the latter with the volcanic eruptions of Java assumes 

 special interest, and may give us a new insight into the 

 upper currents of wind. We have already heard how 

 ashes fell at great distances to windward, reckoning by 

 the surface currents. The same upper winds, in the time 

 that elapsed, seem to have carried lighter ashes, projected 

 still higher, over India. May not the lightest and highest- 

 projected, almost impalpable dust have been spread over 

 the greater part of our hemisphere, or at any rate as far as 

 England, whose distance from Calcutta is not double the 

 distance from Calcutta to Java ? The recent Greenlan 1 

 expedition has enforced the lesson of ocean soundings 

 on the wide prevalence of such material. If this sugges- 

 tion has any founJation, then the comparison to the lurid 

 glare over cities may be a true analogy. Just as frozen 

 fog particles form around solid nuclei of smoke, so the 

 impalpable dust may have formed centres for cloud- 

 formation in air strata above the normal range of clouds. 

 York, December 3 J. Ed.mund Clark 



P.S. — December 4 : My observations on last night's 

 sunset were from hurried glances indoors. I find from 

 Mrs. Clark that the appearances differed from the general 

 character, being like those of Sunday evening, the 25th. 

 She noticed, as did also another lady, the curious green 

 colour of the moan. This fact was recalled to my mind 

 to-night, when yesterday's sunset effects were repeated, 

 the moon, to my surprise, having a most striking green 

 tint. This was about 4 25, and it was still noticeible at 

 4.45--J- E. C. 



This singular atmospheric aspect prevails here daily 

 at sunri-e and sunset, though there seem to be mdica- 

 tions that its splendour is on the wane. It has been 

 visible for nearly a month, prolonging daylight up.vards 

 of an hour. At sunrise, on the 28th, the rich colours of 

 the phenomenon again suffused the sky, and at sunset 

 and for upwards of an hour afterwards the sky was 

 effulgent with all the prismatic colours. The sunrise of 

 the 29th surpassed all previous ones in magnificence, 

 spread, and duration of colour The day being favourable 

 for observation, it was possible to detect a mass of 

 attenuated, white, nebulous vapour surrounding the sun 

 for a distance of some 30' or 40'. The sunset was less 

 remarkable for tone and brilliancy of colour. Pearly- 

 whites and steel-grays mostly prevailing at 4.15 p.m., a 

 faint rosy colour suffused the whole sky. At 4.30 p.m. a 

 band of glowing orange-coloured light, about 23° in alti- 

 tude, stretched from north-west to a point near the south, 

 and at 5.15 p.m. a renarkable body of rosy light formed 

 in the west above the orange-coloured mass, and sepa- 

 rated from it by a dark slate-coloured space, about 2° 

 wide, small and pillar-shaped at fir:!t, with the apex 

 pointing north, but soon spreading north and south. This 

 nebulous body deepened in colour as it grew in mass till 

 it became a remarkable volume of vivid crimson light 

 some 5° or 6" in height, and 25' or 30' in length. At 6 

 p.m. the colour of the western s';y had changed to orange ; 

 afterwards the colour slovly died out, and night prevailed. 

 On the morning of the 30th ult. the glow was indistinctly 

 apparent. In the afternoon there was a dense cloud 

 canopy and considerable r.iinfall, but an orange coloured 

 glare at sunset was discernible through the clouds. On 

 the 1st inst. the radiance of the glow was conspicuous. 



and the sky richly coloured just before sunri=e. At 4p.m. 

 the glare in the west was brilliant, with golden carmine 

 and green colours. At 4,15 the carmine colour dis- 

 appeared, the greater part of the sky became of a delicate 

 blue, and long streaks of cirri of changeful colour lay 

 across the sky. After many changes of tints and the 

 appearance of the usual glow like ihat of a second day- 

 light, at 5.15 p.m. the usual fiery glow rose in the west 

 to an altitude of 25°, and continued till 6 p.m. 

 On the 2nd, the sky was cloudy before sunrise, but the 

 radiance was visible all the same, showing carmine and 

 golden hues. On that morning a pale yellow coloured 

 the sky till II a.m. At sunset the iridescent display was 

 less brilliant than usu d, and commenced later. But there 

 were fiery reds, glowing yellows, and olive-greens in a sky 

 with a detached cloud canopy. The usual fiery glow 

 appeared at about 5 50 and prevailed till 6 p.m. On the 

 morning of the 3rd, before sunrise, the coloured rad'ance 

 reappeared in great beauty, and a yellow tint pervaded the 

 sky throughout the day. The wind on this day was rough 

 from the north-w-est. The thermometer at midday was 

 51". At sunset the glow was less splendid than hereto- 

 fore, and the fiery reds were dilute and diffuse. The sky 

 was cloudy. The glow lighted up the heavens till 

 6 p.m. as usual. This morning (4th) the sky before 

 sunset was resplendent with rich masses of prismatic 

 colour. Suddenly, at 8.30 a.m., when the brilliant 

 colours had vanished, a halo of iridescent colours 

 encircled the sun for a short time, as though a body of 

 vapour was swiftly traversing the sky. In a moment 

 afterwards the colour of the sun changed to an exquisite 

 emerald hue, staining the landscape and investing houses, 

 buildings, glazed windows, and greenhouses with a re- 

 markably weird aspect. Before there was well time to 

 notice how things appeared in a bright green light, the 

 rays of the sun changed to a deep yellow, and in a 

 moment afterwards, as though some obscuring medium 

 had been withdrawn, the ordinary daylight reappeared. 

 At sunset to-d:iy the display was magnificent in variety 

 and tint of colour. At 4.15 the usual orange-colour bank 

 of glowing, luminous vapour appeared in the west, ex- 

 tending to north-west and south-west, having above it a 

 system of rays of a dull, fiery red. The sky was clear, 

 flecked here and there with cirro-cumulus. At 4.45 the 

 crescent of the moon, being just above the fringe of red 

 light, assumed a lively green hue, and continued to ex- 

 hibit the novelty of an emerald crescent till 5 p.m., when, 

 the colour passing away, the satellite resumed its silvery 

 hue and shone in the blue sky, while the fiery glow still 

 lighted up the west and north-west. It seemed to me 

 that the moon's rays neutralised in the neighbourhood 

 the fiery tints which characterise this peculiar glow, as in 

 the vicinity of the crescent blue sky prevailed. It may 

 be mentioned chat foreign particles are traversing the 

 atmosphere. On July 14 black rain fell at places round 

 this city, and so ne was collected at Crowle. A good 

 observer, Mr. J. S. Haywood, the hon. secretary of the 

 Naturalist Field Club, noticed the black sediment which 

 the rain had deposited on the leaves of the plants and 

 shrubs in his nursery. At the time I drew attention to 

 the rainfall, and ventured to ascribe the discoloration to 

 the presence of volcanic dust. It has since transpired that 

 Krakatoa was in violent eruption from May 20 down to 

 the fatal 26th of .AugUjt, throwing up vast masses of dust. 

 Discoloured rain again fell in the vicinity of this city on 

 the i7Lh ult. J. Ll. Bozward 



Worcester, December 4 



The ruddy glow near the sun, so well descrtbea D 

 J. Ll. Bozwai-d in your last number (p. 102), was most 

 conspicuous here on the 30th ult. both at sunrise and 

 sunset. It should be examined with a spectroscope. 

 Here there were neither clouds nor cirri visible. Yester- 

 day it rained the whole day; towards evening the sky 



