THE NARRATIVE OF CHARLES WILKES. 429 
Lieutenant Pinkney, in accordance with this opinion, and his own 
conviction of the necessity of an immediate return to milder latitudes, 
as the only means of restoring the sick and preserving those on duty, 
who were then incapable of managing the vessel without the assistance of 
the officers, deemed it his duty to steer for the north, which he accord- 
ingly did. 
The 6th and 7th continued thick, with occasional squalls. On the 
8th the weather again broke up, when they had several hours of sun- 
shine, which proved of great benefit to the sick. Lieutenant Pinkney 
was enabled to come again on deck, who had scarcely been able to quit his 
berth, since leaving Macquarie Island, from sickness. They had reached 
the longitude of 139° 45’ E., latitude 61°. At 11 p.m. the aurora was 
seen ; it was first visible in the south-east quarter, in spots resembling 
pale moonlight, extending to the zenith, from whence it diverged in 
rays, some of which reached the horizon, but the greatest number ter- 
minated at an altitude of twenty-five or thirty degrees. On the 9th 
the aurora was also seen in the west, in vertical rays of pale yellow 
light, commencing about five degrees above the horizon, and extending 
to an altitude of 30°. After a short time it disappeared, and was again 
seen in the zenith, radiating in lines to the north-east and west, reach- 
ing to within ten degrees of the horizon. The wind was from the 
southward. Temperature, 34°. The following five days they had thick 
weather, and nothing occurred until the evening of the 14th, when they 
again had a display of the aurora, the coruscations were frequent and 
brilliant, but did not exhibit any different form, until after midnight, 
when it appeared in arches reaching nearly to the horizon, at from 45° 
to 73° of altitude, and composed of short perpendicular lines, blending 
at one moment into a sheet of misty light and then breaking out into 
brighter lines, some of which were broad. It then again shifted to the 
zenith, with radiations extending in every direction in straight and 
wavy lines. The changes were incessant, but not shooting. On the 
morning of the 15th they again had a display of the aurora. It first 
appeared in the southern heavens at an altitude of 45°, flashing to the 
zenith, where it disappeared. After midnight it was again visible in 
the southern quarter, at about 30° of altitude. It finally centred in a 
bright spot, which changed into a crescent, with the rounded side to the 
northward. From this feathery-edged rays of pale orange-colour 
branched off in every direction, over which the prismatic colours seemed 
to flit in rapid succession. The rays would sometimes fold into one 
another like a fan, and reach the horizon in one direction, while in 
another they were drawn up to the zenith, again to burst forth in 
repetitions, until lost in daylight. On the 19th the aurora again 
appeared in an arch of 15° altitude. 
They passed the last icebergs in latitude 55° 30’ 8., longitude 
145° 30! E. 
