18 



December 9, 1844. 



REV. J. H. TODD, D.D., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Read, a letter from Rev. T. R. Robinson, D. D., on the 

 periodical Meteors of the 10th August. 



Rev. H. Lloyd gave an account of two remarkable halos 

 and paraselense, observed in May and June last : 



On the 27th of June, at 10^ 30™ p. M., a very remarkable 

 phenomenon of paraselense was seen in Dublin. The moon 

 was encompassed, as usual, by a halo, whose radius was about 

 22 degrees, but so faint, that its presence was unnoticed by 

 some of the observers. A cross of light traversed the place 

 of the moon, the arms of which were horizontal and verti- 

 cal, the light fading ofi" insensibly towards their extremities. 

 The remaining parts of the space within the halo were darker 

 than the surrounding sky. At the extremities of the horizon- 

 tal diameter of the circle were two brilliant paraselense, having 

 tails of light extending from the moon ; of these the eastern 

 was the most distinct. The whole phenomenon is represented 

 in the lithograph sketch in the Appendix. 



This beautiful phenomenon was witnessed by many observ- 

 ers. The appearances are briefly described in the records of 

 the Magnetical Observatory, by the assistant whose duty it 

 was to observe at 10 p. m. ; and I have likewise received notes 

 of them from Mr. O'Neill, formerly my assistant in the ob- 

 servatory (who has likewise furnished me with an interesting 

 sketch), and from our Assistant Secretary, Mr. Clibborn. 



The state of the sky at 10 p.m., shortly before the appear- 

 ance of the phenomenon, is thus recorded in the day-book of 

 the Observatory : " Sky all very lightly overcast ; small dark 

 masses of cumulo-stratus above the southern horizon, the moon 

 shining weakly through them." The barometer had been 

 rising uninterruptedly during the 27th, and the three days 



