Miscellanies. 187 



2. Phosphorescence of the sea in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. — 

 Captain Bonnycastle, R. E. whilst coming up the gulf on the 7th 

 September, 1826, observed this phenomenon under the following in- 

 teresting circumstances. At two o'clock, A. M. the mate, whose 

 watch it was on deck, suddenly aroused the captain in great alarm, 

 from an unusual appearance on the lee bow. The night was star light, 

 but suddenly the sky became overcast in the direction of the high land 

 ofCornwallis county, and a rapid, instantaneous and immensely brill- 

 iant hght, resembhng the Aurora Borealis, shot out of the hitherto 

 gloomy and dark sea on the lee bow, and was so vivid that it light- 

 ed every thing distinctly, even to the mast head. The mate, having 

 alarmed the master, put the helm down, took in sail and called all 

 hands up. The light now spread over the whole sea between the 

 two shores ; and the waves, which before had been tranquil, now 

 began to be agitated. Capt. B. describes the scene, as that of a 

 blazing sheet of awful and most brilliant light. A long and vivid 

 line of light, superior in brightness to the parts of the sea not imme- 

 diately near the vessel, showed us tlie base of the high, frowning and 

 dark land abreast of us ; the sky became lowering and intensely ob- 

 scure. The oldest sailors on board had never seen any thing of the 

 kind to compare with it, except the captain, who said that he had ob- 

 served something of the kind in the Trades. Long tortuous lines 

 of Ught in a contrary direction to the sea, shewed us immense num- 

 bers of very large fish darting about as if in consternation at the 

 scene. The sprit-sail yard and mizen-boom were lighted by the re- 

 flection as though gas lights had been burning immediately under 

 them ; and until just before day break, at four o'clock, the most mi- 

 nute objects in a watch were distinctly visible. Day broke very slow- 

 ly, and the sun rose of a fiery and threatening aspect. Rain follow- 

 ed. 



Capt. B. caused a bucket of this fiery water to be drawn up ; it 

 was one mass of light when stirred by the hand, and not in spar- 

 kles, as usual, but in actual corruscations. A portion of this water 

 kept in an open jug preserved its luminosity for seven nights. On 

 the third night the scintillations in the sea re-appeared, and were ren- 

 dered beautifully visible by throwing a line over board and towing 

 it along astern of the vessel. On this evening the sun went down 

 very singularly, exhibiting in its descent a double sun; and when, 

 only a few degrees above the horizon, its spherical figure changed 

 into that of a long cylinder which reached the horizon. In the night 



