274 Aurora Borealis of Novembe)' 14, 1837. 



tage. None, at any rate, of the magnificent exhibitions of this 

 nature, by which the past few years have been distinguished, have 

 produced upon his mind an impression of so unmingled admira- 

 tion and dehght. 



It is a fact not a httle remarkable, and one which may serve 

 to show how httle the negative testimony of persons, not system- 

 atically observers, can be depended on, in regard to the occur- 

 rence even of the most magnificent and striking celestial phe- 

 nomena, that of all the daily papers in the city of New York, 

 amounting to nearly or quite twenty, the Commercial Adverti- 

 ser alone, contained a notice of the later and more splendid ap- 

 pearances of this Aurora, while almost every one explicitly stated 

 the fact of the flush which overspread the face of nature early in 

 the evening. We quote a few sentences from the Commercial : — 

 " The glories of the Aurora have been so often displayed to us 

 of late, that we scarcely think of mentioning each nightly exhi- 

 bition ; but that of last night was so eminently lovely, that we 

 cannot let it pass unnoticed. * * * * 



" Our news collector, Capt. Siscoe, who resides at Staten Island, 

 says that he never beheld so magnificent a spectacle. During 

 the continuance of the auroral light, he could see as distinctly 

 outside of Sandy Hook, as at mid-day — a circumstance he never 

 knew before, and he believes that the oldest men on the island 

 are of the same opinion. The illumination was so great, he says, 

 that, at one time, the city of New York appeared to be within a 

 mile or two of Staten Island." 



The display at nine o'clock was observed in the town of Fonda, 

 Montgomery Co., N. Y.. by Mr. Oran W. Morris of New York 

 City. His account of its general appearance accords very well 

 with that which has just been given. At one time, however, 

 Mr. Morris observed two arches of diffused light in the south, be- 

 low that on which the columns rested. Mr. Morris noticed par- 

 ticularly a bright red sector, similar to that already mentioned, on 

 the west side of the corona. His position was at least one hun- 

 dred and sixty miles, a little west of north, from that of the writer. 



By a letter addressed to Mr. Herrick by Mr. Azariah Smith, Jr., 

 from Geneva, N. Y., it appears that the first approach of the 

 Aurora was at that place, unobscured by clouds. The following 

 is an extract : — 



