38 



Mr. O'Donovan. It is, however, more perfect; as many 

 chasms caused by stains and other injuries have been sup- 

 plied from abstracts of the work made by the compiler him- 

 self, and many corrections and much additional matter found 

 in those abstracts have been inserted. The Academy's 

 transcript may therefore be considered the only perfect copy 

 of the work now existing. 



Professor Lloyd read a note on the Aurora Borealis of 

 the 18th inst., of which the following is an extract: — - 



" At a quarter past ten o'clock, on the night of the 18th 

 inst., my attention was called to a remarkable ruddy ap- 

 pearance in the eastern part of the sky, which, at first view, 

 seemed to arise from the reflexion of a fire. On a more at- 

 tentive examination, however, it was soon evident that the 

 appearance was purely meteoric. It was, in fact, an auroral 

 phenomenon, though of a very peculiar kind. 



" It was bright moonlight, and Mars had just appeared 

 after his occultation by the moon. The sky was entirely 

 without clouds ; but the northern, eastern, and western seg- 

 ments were covered with a curtain of diffused Aurora, re- 

 sembling a luminous vapour. This curtain was lifted from 

 the horizon on the east and west, and exhibited a deep 

 blue sky. But the distinguishing appearance was, that 

 large masses of this light, especially towards the east and 

 north-east, were of a blood-red colour, which presented a 

 vivid contrast to the blue of the sky beneath. A large 

 patch of this red light, about 40° from the horizon to the 

 eastward, was the most remarkable. It continued distinctly 

 visible for upwards of half an hour ; and its motion was so 

 rapid that in this time it had advanced from about due east 

 to a point nearly south-east. 



There was a mass of white streamers to the north, which 

 reached nearly to the zenith, and pointed somewhere be- 

 tween the magnetic and due north. At half past ten o'clock, 



