258 H. C. RUSSELL. 
“After 9:17 p.m. the scene lost much of its brilliancy only to 
burst again into magnificent activity at 9°20 p.m., being brightest 
and most intense in the northern semicircle, and lasting until 9°30 
pm. After this the splendour gradually faded away, though 
occasional discharges of bright flashes or the appearance of clouds 
of diffused light continued until 9°45 p.m., again being of homo- 
geneous nature. 
“Generally throughout the display, first magnitude stars were 
visible, shining through the aurora, though at times its brilliancy 
was so radiant as to totally absorb their light. The moon was 
bright with no halo around. After 10 p.m. the sky rapidly 
clouded over with cirro-cumulus and cumulus, and slight rain fell, 
the breeze falling very light. Throughout the previous day (April 
19), the weather had been cloudy and unsettled, with a fresh 
north-west gale, which gradually moderated on the 20th. During 
the night of the 20th, moderate to light north-west breezes until 
midnight, and then variable southerly breezes prevailed. At 8 
p-m. on the 21st the wind rapidly freshened to a moderate south- 
west gale, which continued until the evening of the 22nd.” 
A second display of the Aurora Australis was witnessed 
from R.M.S. Aorangi throughout the whole of the night of April 
23rd, 1897, from 7-15 p.m. until 4 a.m. April 24th, the ship being 
in Lat. 45° South, Long. 119° to 121° East; barometer 30°25 ; 
thermometer 45° F. Owing to the sky being very cloudy, with | 
cumulus and showers occurring at intervals, but little could be 
noted of this aurora. A diffused light prevailed over the southern 
horizon throughout the night. At 9 p.m. two arches of more 
intense light appeared above the former southern horizon at the 
altitudes of about 20° and 45°, they were of a pale greenish hue. 
At 11 p.m. bright flashes in a vertical direction were apparent for 
a few minutes, all of a homogeneous structure. Throughout April 
23rd, the wind was gradually moderating from a fresh south-south- 
west to light southerly breeze at midnight. At 8 a.m. on the — 
24th it again freshened to a moderate south-south-west gale which 
continued until noon of the 25th. 
