394 



Miscellanies. 



effluence of the sky, as I now saw it extend upwards from the east- 

 ern water horizon line to the zenith, in a well defined, equal, broad 

 column of white strong light, resembling in some degree that of the 

 aurora, but of a steady brightness and unchanging body, whilst there 

 were few or no clouds. Ursa Major, then near the zenith, was situ- 

 ated with regard to this column, at a quarter past nine as below, the 

 column passing nearly vertically between 'Q and »/. 



Zenith. 



Horizon line of Lake. 



There was no moon, as on that day it rose at 2h. Am. consequently 

 it was dark, and as the sky was not very cloudy the meteor was 

 seen to the greatest advantage as the night wore on. It passed very 

 slowly and bodily to the westward, continuing to occupy the space 

 from the horizon to the zenith, until the upper part first faded slowly 

 and then the whole gradually disappeared, after it had reached nearly 

 to due northeast. I had unfortunately broken my thermometer and 

 could therefore only state that the weather was cold, and that there 

 was no wind. At twenty five minutes past nine o'clock the pillar of 

 light had vanished, but it immediately afterwards reappeared slightly 

 in the horizon where it had been last seen, and in the mean time the 

 constant auroral arch of the halos I have before mentioned, in Vol. 

 30. p. 131, became visible in the northern horizon, and increased 

 very rapidly in brilliancy, and at ten minutes to ten gave so intense 

 a glow to the sky that it was light enough to enable me to see the 

 objects around distinctly as in pale moonlight. It was in short equal 

 to the light of the moon at the end of the second quarter. 



The auroral arch rose very high on this occasion and then flatten- 

 ed, and at ten the double arch, I have already described, was pecu- 

 liarly beautiful, the darkness under it being singularly grand. 



