104 MYERS ON METEOROLOGY. 



having fallen below their usual level. There were but few heavy 

 gales, and I may here mention that the late Judge Stewart favored 

 me with a communication, only" a few months before his death, in 

 which he stated that he had frequently noticed that storms, which 

 from time to time prevailed in the northern parts of this continent, 

 extending as far south as New York, and approaching as near as 

 Truro and Windsor in this Province, did not reach Halifax, where, 

 while New York, Boston, St. John, and the circumjacent country 

 were devastated, calm and fine weather prevailed. The Judge had 

 hence assumed the hypothesis that Halifax is the centre of a storm 

 circle, and he thought, if the attention of the government were 

 called to the subject by this Institute, it might be induced to regard 

 it as worthy of notice, and grant a small sum annually to be ex- 

 pended in obtaining from the telegraph company such daily infor- 

 mation as would enable us to ascertain whether this view is a cor- 

 rect one ; which, if established, would be of some importance to 

 disabuse the world of the idea, so universally entertained, that this 

 is pre-eminently the land of fog and storms. If an interchange of 

 weather signals between the Smithsonian Institute at Washington 

 and Halifax, which is now under consideration, can be accomplished, 

 it will do much in furtherance of this object, and should the assist- 

 ance of the government be required in carrying out any arrange- 

 ment of this kind, it will no doubt be freely accorded. 



Among several fine displays of aurora borealis, for which the 

 past year was distinguished, one, on the night of 7 th — 8th of June, 

 surpassed in magnificent beauty, extensive diffusion, and length of 

 duration, anything of the kmd I had ever before witnessed. At 

 eight o'clock, p. m., of the 7th, a violent squall of wind from the 

 N. W., with heavy rain, passed over the city, after which the 

 weather became calm and cloudless. At about nine o'clock bright 

 undulating sheets of light were first observed in the whole northern 

 part of the sky, extending upwards beyond the zenith, and, by 

 degrees, overspreading the heavens in the form of an immense tent, 

 ' making the night as light as day. At midnight its appearance was 

 peculiarly beautiful. Iridescent rays, darting rapidly upwards from 

 the north, mingled together beneath the apex of this vast canopy, 

 forming large luminous masses, which, with a rolling motion, at one 

 time gradually fiided away, only shortly to re-appear with additional 



