382 The Auroral Arch of March 20, 1865, as seen in Ireland. 



(3). 1827, December 27th. Height nearly 100 miles, observed 

 at Kendal and Manchester. 

 Regarding the near agreement with one another of these 

 results, Dr. Dalton has the following remark : — ' ' I am in- 

 duced to believe that these luminous arches of the aurora, 

 which occasionally appear stretching from east to west across 

 the magnetic meridian, are all of the same height, and that 

 height about one hundred miles." The near agreement of this 

 conjecture with the height of the auroral arch observed on the 

 evening of the 20th of March confirms the general stability 

 of their appearance, and makes the uniformity of their effect, 

 as observed in the movements of the magnetic needle, a most 

 interesting subject of inquiry. 



THE AURORAL ARCH OF MARCH 20, 1865, AS 

 SEEN IN IRELAND. 



BY THE HON. MRS. WAED. 



As I find that a late number of this magazine (that of April, 

 1865) contains some descriptions of an auroral arch seen in 

 Scotland on February 15th, I am tempted to send two accounts 

 of a similar phenomenon, seen on March 20th, together with 

 my own observations upon it, at Bellair, King's county, lat. 

 53° 20' 17" and long. 7° 44' W. 



I am constrained, however, to describe it in the tone of 

 the writer who, as stated in the article above referred to, 

 " exclaimed," concerning the aurora of February 15th, that its 

 wondrous beauty could hardly be described, and that it seemed 

 to lead " onward to the golden gates of heaven." Exclamation 

 must be employed in describing what I saw at ten minutes 

 before eight on the evening of March 20th.* 



The afternoon had been clear, a light wind blowing from 

 the east. Several minutes before sunset I had detected 

 Venus as a glittering point on the pale blue sky, and 

 had occasionally glanced at the brilliant planet during the 

 deepening twilight. About ten minutes before eight o'clock, 

 I thought on looking towards the south, that the air had an 

 unusually luminous aspect. The moon had not risen — surely 

 the planet Venus could not throw such a light. I descended 

 the doorsteps, and stood astonished ! The light was, in short, 



* This denotes Dublin time, as kept at the neighbouring railway station ; the 

 hour by Greenwich time was about 8h. 15m., and the aurora had probably been 

 visible several minutes before I observed it. 



