86 Notice of an Aurora Borealis. 



Some of my friends were now called up to enjoy the spectacle, and 

 subsequently all the Professors and Tutors, and many students of 

 the College, were witnesses of the phenomena. Gradually the 

 northern streams increased both in number and in length, as new 

 ones sprung east and west of those originally observed. Stars could 

 be seen dimly shining through them. The color of these corusca- 

 tions was of a bluish white near their base ; farther up it was of a 

 brighter and more silvery hue. Those nearest the moon, which 

 was then in her first quarter and gave a strong light, assumed for a 

 very short time a pale green, then a bright orange color ; and one, 

 which shot up to a great length, became particularly remarkable by 

 its brilliant redness. The whole scene was still farther enlivened by 

 a beautiful play of crimson light gracefully undulating upwards along 

 the streamers. The long rays continued to shoot up higher and 

 higher, until they all converged at a point on or near the meridian, 

 about midway between Arcturus and (3 Leonis. The right ascen- 

 sion of the focus, was found, on reference to the globe, to be 194° 

 20', and its declension, 18° north. It is not, however, pretended 

 that its position was determined with perfect accuracy. At this 

 point, the streamers which magnificently decorated the whole north- 

 ern hemisphere, reddening as they converged, formed a superb oval 

 crown of deep crimson light. This crown, which seemed like a 

 lake of blood, extended, east and west, about fifteen degrees, and 

 ten or twelve in the opposite direction. It had such a preternatural 

 aspect, and, viewed in connexion with the accompanying phenome- 

 na, one of such overpowering sublimity, as to inspire a profound 

 feeling of religious awe. It lasted from five minutes before eleven 

 o'clock, until five minutes after. Gi'adually the redness faded away; 

 the coruscations, which had lately met and mingled in the color of 

 blood, no longer entirely converged ; around the focus was left a 

 blank space of very irregular outline ; south of it were seen the 

 broken off extremities of the most northern rays ; while all the rays 

 near the convergence, had a peculiar brushy appearance. At later 

 periods, the point of convergence, as well as it could be determined, 

 was found nearer and nearer to Arcturus, indicating that the whole 

 meteor moved with the earth. During the more brilliant stages of 

 the phenomena, the stars looked very dim ; and the moon, previous 

 to her setting, shorn of more than half her lustre, had a sickly, pal- 

 lid aspect. For the space of two hours after the disappearing" of 

 the Auroral crown, the illuminated portion of the heavenly dome 



