Aurora of 1859. 257 
: with barely perceptible rays along its southern border, and moy- 
_ ing with the rolling motion of clouds, rather than the straight 
darting motion usually seen in auroras. 4th. It varied in inten- 
sity more than any we have ever seen before, twice fading nearly 
out, and remaining so for nearly half an hour or more, and then 
__ kindling up with greater brilliancy than before. 
4 About 74 P. M. it was a barely perceptible light in the north- 
est. As the darkness deepened, this luminous spot grew 
j brighter, and moved to the south, till a little before 8 Pp. M. when 
tapidly, and at 84 10™ there were left only the two centres in 
the northeast and northwest with a fitfal gleam between them. 
ng this retreat, portions of the luminous cloud broke off 
and floated for some minutes far away from the main body, sur- 
Tounded by deep darkness, like islands. One of them, and the 
most beautiful, was a long bright bar in the south, which 
€xiended more than half way across the sky from west to 
east, with a wide sea of darkness between it and the parent 
ot, mpen gradually melted away and disappeared to the 
ar 
*  Atd p, M. the light advanced again, this time with a blood- 
Be kinge In the eastern and western portions, and passed clear 
‘the south as before, but shooting up many and variously col- 
“8, Sometimes from the east, sometimes from the west, 
»A. M. it blazed u 
lish? White rays far above the zenith, and making the earth 
1a fall moon behind a mist could have done. This time 
p eined to dart up in broad masses, giving the sky the 
Dpeara, ca . 4 
. 
fall: 
cs y marked, the rays shooting up in a sort of volley, many 
Os elon C8ether; while broken and separate masses of lumin- 
oud were Seen in various parts of the sky. 
Vou. XXIX, No. 86,—-MARCH, 1860. 
