No. III.] 



Dr. RICHARDSON ON THE AURORA. 



623 



At lOh. 30'. Columns of faint light rose perpendicularly from the horizon 

 in the N., S.E., and S.W. points, to the height of 20°. 



At midnight there was an arch of light in the south about 15° high, having 

 its lower edge throughout its whole length, resting upon a fog bank ; and there 

 were also two or three faint beams rising from the horizon in the S.E., across 

 a portion of clear sky ; and a beam lying midway between the zenith and 

 horizon, about 20° long, and pointing north and south. 



At lh. The sky in the zenith was clear, and was occupied by an arch tend- 

 ing from N.W. to S.E. 









December 29th, 1820. 





Hour. 



Temp. 



Wind. 









A. M. 9 



-52 



West. 



Light. 



Clear. Low stratus in 



10 



-53 



do. 



do. 



do. 



do. 



Noon. 



-52 



North. 



do. 



do. 



do. 



2 



-51 



N.W. 



do. 



do. 



do. 



6 



-57 





Calm. 



do. 





9 



-53 



East 



Light. 



do. 





Midnight. 



52.£ 



! do. 



do. 



do. 





2 



-52 



do. 



do. 



Very clear. 





At 6h. p. m., there appeared an arch of yellowish-grey and pretty dense 

 light, about 10° broad and 25° high, which in a few minutes began to increase 

 in breadth, and at length separated into two parallel arches, whilst at the same 

 time a fainter beam sprung from its northern end, taking a direction towards 

 the S.b.E., but becoming more diffuse ; as it rose it disappeared in the zenith. 

 The brighter part of the light obscured the stars. The united limbs of the two 

 arches in the N.b.W., were divided by perpendicular dark spaces, so as to 

 appear to be composed of oblique bars. 



About 10m. after these appearances were noted down, the sky was occupied 

 for about 70° to the northward of the zenith by large masses of light, arranged 

 so as to converge towards the N.W. b.N. and S.E.b. S. points of the horizon. 

 Near these points long slender processes of light descended, and united so as 

 to form a common stem on each side, similar to the limbs of an arch of the 

 common dimensions of 2° or 3° in breadth. The internal movements of the 



