280 The Ninteenth Surah of the Qordn. [No. 3. 



that something remarkable had occurred towards the north, and 

 directed my attention to the sky, when a truly beautiful object pre- 

 sented itself, viz., a delicate arch of light, extending from about 4° 

 from the horizon on the west, to about 7° on the east, its crown rising 

 up to near the pole star. It looked as if an even and rigid rod, coated 

 with phosphorus, had been made to arch the sky in the manner 

 described. It was seen under very favourable circumstances also, in 

 so far as no trace of cloud was any where visible, and the sky being at 

 the time of that peculiar depth and transparency which is to be wit- 

 nessed here during a break in the rains. The account which he gave 

 of its first appearance was this. A servant rushed into the house in 

 great fright declaring that the sky had split (" asman phat gia hai"). 

 He first saw, he said, an immense ball of fire pass from east to west 

 which left behind it the rent which had terrified him so much. 



During the time which I was able to observe the arch, about 20 

 minutes, it increased in curvature near the crown, which, besides, 

 moved slowly through about 2° towards the east. The dawn was now 

 setting in and the arch diminishing in absolute brightness, though 

 still as well defined as at the first, and before it ceased to be distin- 

 guishable it had shortened by several degrees, wasting away from the 

 ends upwards. 



Agra, 1 2th May , 1851. 



The initial letters of the Nineteenth Surah of the Qordn. 

 By Dr. A. Sprenger. 



There is a chapter in Ibn IsAaq which leads us to suppose that the 

 nineteenth Surah of the Qoran, which contains a poetical history of 

 John Baptist and of Christ, and which Mohammad sent with his fugi- 

 tive followers to Abyssinia was purposely written to please the Najashy 

 or king of that country. This is the more likely as many other Surahs 

 were composed for special occasions. It is therefore not improbable that 

 the five letters which stand at the head of the Surah, viz. (j^*^, and 

 the meaning of which is an enigma for the commentators of the Qoran, 

 are a Christian Symbol. In Roman Catholic countries the letters 



