394 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



At nine o'clock the brilliancy of the phenomenon had 

 passed away, and at ten, when I last saw it, the northern 

 part of the heavens was more faintly illuminated. 



The night was calm and fair, with a light air from the 

 south-east, and a young moon, which set between eight 

 and nine. 



November 2nd, 185 1. — I observed by the English papers 

 which arrived by this day's mail, that the aurora borealis 

 was very vivid in London, at twelve p.m., on the evening of 

 September 29th last, that its brilliancy at one time was 

 supposed to arise from some tremendous conflagration in 

 that metropolis. 



Allowing for difference of longitude, the appearance of 

 the aurora in Bermuda and at Halifax, Nova Scotia, was 

 simultaneous with that recorded in London, and the fact 

 of its being visible at the same moment from parts of the 

 globe three thousand miles distant from each other, proves 

 its elevation is far, very far above the atmosphere. 



ON THE FORMATION OF THE BERMUDAS. 



The remarkable coral reef upon which the Bermudas 

 stand, is occasionally alluded to in my notes upon those 

 islands, I will now endeavour to describe its wonderful 

 history in ages past. 



This coral reef extends, from east to west, twenty-four 

 geographical miles ; and from north to south, twelve to 

 fourteen miles. It is needless to observe that the coral 

 polype is never found in very deep water ; consequently 

 this marvellous superstructure must rest upon some founda- 

 tion not very far below the level of the Atlantic. 



