242 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, [March, 



defined, pale yellow, moving slowly, forked at their apices, or split from their 

 apices towards the zenith, almost obscuring stars of the first magnitude. 

 Longest beams terminate at South 10 East ; alt. 25°. Middle beam broad 

 crossing the zenith, and descending to North 50 East, at alt. 40°. Northerly 

 beams almost parallel to horizon, terminate at South 70 East : alt. 20°. 



10 p. m. General appearance more diffused, upper limb of arch less clearly 

 defined. No beams cross the zenith, two detached ones bear South 15 East 

 at 15° alt. a beam occasionally re-appears at zenith. 



10.15. Appearances to West of North as before. One beam on zenith ; 

 two cross the Meridian, one to South 30 East at 15 alt. which is not con- 

 tinuous towards the arch in South East. Arch more diffused, forming a mass 

 of pale light from Horizon to alt. 25°. Beams broader, shifting and splitting 

 more frequently ; soon after a dark horizontal band 4° broad crosses the arch, 

 extending North 55 West, to North 10 West to upper limb, alt. 12° ; it appears 

 as a break in the auroral arch ; whole Horizon covered with a pale diffused 

 light, strongest below arch, and in opposite quarter of heavens beams still 

 clear, the lateral broadest and best defined. The dark band becoming broader, 

 and breaking at the arch. 



1030. Beams from arch still clear, linear, 2o — 6o broad, about 12 in 

 number, none reach the zenith : — a few lateral ones cross the moon's Meri- 

 dian, the upper approach within 8° of her orb, and still are well defined ; 

 North East beams and most crowded North West broadest and most clearly 

 defined. The dark band becomes broader, and divides the auroral arch. 

 Whole phenomena fading, the longest, brightest and most numerous beams 

 extend along the North East horizon. 



10.50. Still fading, beams and arch all disappearing to West of North, 

 18 narrow beams between North and North 20 East from broken remains of 

 arch — cold southerly breeze springs up. 



10* 55. Breaking up fast. 



11 p. m. Diffused light over all horizon, scattered fragments of beams in 

 various parts of heaven, like cirrhus, linear and best defined along and pa- 

 rallel to North and North East horizon. 



Mid-night. Two faint beams to North-East and two strongly defined lance- 

 shaped ones parallel to each other, to South- West. 

 The following day was bright, clear and warm. 



From Capt. Jas. Abbott, forwarding an account, by an eye-witness, 

 of the terrible Cataclysm of the Indus. (Published in the present 

 number of the Journal.) 



From Major Madden, Almorah, with reference to his promised essay 

 on the Flora of Kumaon. 



