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 crystals, 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 account 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. — The Volcanic Theory 

 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 1783 was an amazing and portentous one, 

 and full of terrible phenomena ; for, besides the alarming meteors and tre- 

 mendous thuuder 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 



