No. III.] 



LIEUTENANT HOOD ON THE AURORA. 



593 



westward in ten minutes ; the second column brightening as it approached. I 

 am satisfied that they were carried away by the wind, from the following cir- 

 cumstances : that the columns preserved exactly their distance from each other 

 during this evolution, and several wreaths which they formed, retained the 

 same relative situations of all their parts, which is never the case when the Au- 

 rora by its own motion passes from north to south. At midnight, an attenuated 

 Aurora stretched from east to west, which, being nearly parallel to the direction 

 of the wind, no effect like the former was distinguishable. 



29th. At 9h. p. m., appearance of Aurora through the clouds, 



30th. At 9h. p. m., bright twilight ; an arch visible from N.W. to S.E. 

 b.E. Atllh. p. m., a similar arch, composed of several detached wreaths. 

 It had a general motion to the westward, which I attribute to the wind, for the 

 reasons detailed above. 



May 2nd. At midnight, an arch formed of several detached masses, which 

 fluttered violently, with a serpentine motion from E. S.E. towards W.N.W. 

 They were extremely bright and fringed with violet, as usual below, and 

 green above. The coruscations were so transitory, that the beams were scarcely 

 distinguishable. Though the general motion was to the westward, the whole 

 mass faded before it reached the horizon, and disappeared in five minutes. 



3rd. 12h. 30', strong twilight, apparently an arch of Aurora, from N.E. 

 to S.W. 



5th. At midnight, arched Aurora, W.N.W. and S.E. b. E. 

 6th. At midnight, appearance of Aurora in zenith. 

 10th. At midnight, arched Aurora, N.W. to S.E. 



11th. At midnight, several streams of Aurora, from W.N.W. to E.S.E., 

 and flashes to the southward. 



12th. At midnight, several flashes and wreaths, S.E. 

 13th. At midnight, Aurora beyond the clouds. 



