870 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
places have been certainly unseasonably cold. I think New Zealand has 
for example. The summer of Christmas last was both late and cold. A 
frost was experienced at Ashburton on 5th December, and for the past few 
months we have had more than the usual amount of biting weather. But, 
per contra, last winter in England, when the sunsets were most brilliant, 
was very exceptionally mild. So I believe it will be found to have been 
elsewhere. Nevertheless, the ice crystal theory still finds advocates, notably 
Dr. Verbeek, who connects the appearances notwithstanding with Krakatoa. 
He says that the vapoury discharge on 26th and 27th August at Straits of 
Sunda was immense ; that it was condensed to water as it ascended into the 
colder air, and eventually in the coldest, was frozen. The refraction through 
the innumerable ice erystals, he thinks, was quite a sufficient cause for the 
abnormal sun glows. 
Now this carries us through all the theories which attempt to account 
for the sun-glows independently of Krakatoa and its memorable eruption, 
and it is evident that although there is very much to be said in favour of the 
aqueous vapour theory—or rather its modification, the ice crystal theory,— 
yet not one of these attempts to aecount for the displays is perfectly satis- 
factory. Moreover, when we are regarding exceptional events, we must 
look for their origin in events which are in themselves both exceptional and 
adequate. 
III.— mx Vorcawic Turon 
therefore next claims our attention. It is impossible, I think, to consider 
the dates of the earliest occurrence of sun-glows, coming as they do imme- 
diately after the Krakotoa eruption, which, you must remember, culminated 
on the 27th August at 10 in the morning,—without arriving at the conclu- 
sion that the two things are in some way associated—the fallacy in “ post hoc, _ 
propter hoc” notwithstanding, but historical records help us also in this 
direction. It has been pointed out on the authority of that accurate and 
painstaking naturalist Gilbert White, that strangely enough exactly 100 
years ago, i.e., in the summer of 1783, similar phenomena were observed 
(** Nat. Hist. of Selborne,” Letter LXV.). 
* The summer of the year 1788 was an amazing and portentous one, 
and full of terrible phenomena ; for, besides the alarming meteors and tre- 
mendous thunder storms that affrighted and distressed the different counties 
of this kingdom, the peculiar haze, or smoky fog, that prevailed for many 
weeks in this island and every part of Europe, and even beyond its limits, 
was a most extraordinary appearance, unlike anything known within the 
memory of man. By my journal I find that I had noticed this strange 
occurrence from 23rd June to 20th July inclusive, during which period the 
wind varied to every quarter without making any alteration to the air. The 
