M. Quetelet on the Aurora of 1859. 393 
the deepest red. Near the horizon the sky presented a greyish 
and dirty appearance. There were faint traces of an obscure 
segment, whose centre was on the magnetic meridian. Bright 
rays of a yellowish white shot up from this part of the horizon, 
_ traversed the rosy light in the N. W., and terminated in a bundle 
ata distance of 90° from their origin. 
About 125 45m 4. m., the twilight which illumined all the 
northern region became more intense; the general tint.continued 
_ ofa yellowish white, but on the eastern and western borders 
, es into a yellowish green. Then there appeared on the N. 
N. E. a second rosy light, but less decided than that of the 
_ N.W. This was also traversed by yellow rays; but the latter 
were much more brilliant and broader than those which tra- 
| versed the light in the N. W. Those rays also terminated in 
_ abundle at a distance of 48° from their origin. 
_, Subsequently the aurora presented frequent alternations of 
_ brightness, but the general appearance continued the same until 
_ 4o'clock, when observations were suspended. tg 
t9 A.M. Aug, 29th a disturbance of the magnetic instru- 
_ tents was noticed at the Observatory. The following table 
: shows the extreme indications of the instruments for each hour, 
fom 94.M.to9p.m. of Aug. 29th. Between 94 and 10? 4. M. 
the fluctuations of the horizontal intensity were too great to be 
observed by the fixed telescope. 
Mite bs. Pon baba ress 
ination. \Horizontnl Inten.). ‘lination. Horizontal Inten. 
3 ee Max. ota, ea Pane | Hour. en his Max. Min. 
Pea Ta a | ce 4 op aa Mapes omer 
re 5012 | 5863 | 4 2 | Stod |5364 | 5755) 963 49 
3 egy 49°33 | 53:60 | 1.07 |-2°84|| 4h 30m [5796 | “ 8°83 4°60 
ly 51°77 | 55°89 | 1.89 |—0-85 ve Tete Te 55 
to1 | 5168 | 53-58 | 650 | 2:53|| 6h 30m |5660| “ 3°78 
th 2'52°68 | 53:32 | 647 | 5:00) 8h [5543 | “ 6.12 
<0 815813 | 53°85 | 6°04 5-40 || 9h (5673 |. # 5.85 
About midnight Aug, 28th—29th, the employés in the tele- 
staph office at Brussels noticed signals from their bells, such as 
electri} icity throughout the entire morning. It was not till 3" 30", 
Pi t nearly doubling the battery, that communication was 
ished. 
T-establis : 
ptember 2, between 5% and-6* a, u., there was.a second dis- 
*¢ on all the telegraph lines, and communication between 
SERIES, Vow. XXIX, No. 87.—MAY, 1860. 
50 
