Miscellanies. 377 



appeared for the first time, auroral waves or the merry dancers,* 

 These were very decided and magnificent, and continued their play 

 with various degrees of activity, — all other phenomena seeming to 

 give place to them, until llh. 10m., at which time the aurora had en- 

 tirely disappeared except a faint zone of twilight from E. to W. * * * 

 At Ih. 23m. (A. M. 4th) the auroral waves were extremely active ; 

 and luminous currents were seen ascending to the corona, distinct 

 from the waves or flashes, and making directly up in the course of 

 the streamers. This was to me an entirely new phenomenon. There 

 was in fact a combination of three phenomena. 1st. The streamers, 

 which formed the dome, and seemed to be fixed. 2d. These seemed 

 to be the conductors of a svhtle bvt just discernible fluid, which 

 ascended along or beneath them. 3d. This subtle ascending fluid 

 seemed like a medium in which the auroral waves exhibited them- 

 selves. This is a description of flp/ieara?ices only. It seemed to the 

 spectator as if he was looking up the cupola or funnel of a furnace 

 along which heated vapors were ascending with a rush like that of a 

 mill-race ; the vapors being every where pervaded by the flashes and 

 flickerings of the auroral waves. Both the waves and the upward 

 currents were most active as they approached the region of the co- 

 rona, and were not discernible below about 20° of altitude. At 2h. 

 10m. I found the waves and all the phenomena faint. The watchman 

 at the cotton manufactory states, however, that near this time there 

 was a period of extreme splendor continuing about two minutes. 



2. Meteoric Observations in November and December, 1839. — At 

 the time of the expected appearance of an unusual frequency of me- 

 teors on the 14th of November, 1839, the sky in this region was so 

 much obscured by clouds, that it could not be determined whether or 

 not there was any uncommon meteoric display. Clouds prevented 

 observation here also on the evenings of the 5th, 6th, and 7ih of De- 

 cember, 1839. No accounts have reached us of observations at these 

 dates in places where the sky was clear. 



Observations for meteors were made here on the evening of Octo- 

 ber 8, 1839, and on the mornings (between 3h. 30m. and 5h. A. M,) 

 of October 9, 11, 16, but no unusual meteoric frequency was detected. 

 The general radiation of the meteors was then from the region of the 

 constellation Gemini. (See this Journal, Vol. xxxv, p. 366.) 



No intelligence has yet arrived here concerning the resultof meteoric 

 observations at the August epoch in southern latitudes. It would not 



* It is probable that they were seen simultaneously at Middiebury and at New 

 Haven, (see p. 260,) the time being uncertain within three or four minutes. 

 Vol. xxxviii, No. 2.— Jan.-March, 1840. 48 



