208 



W. GARDINER ON AURORA 



showers. For two or three successive evenings this phenomenon 

 illumined the sky with its radiance, and was constantly followed by 

 moisture. 



January 22, 1832. Aurora seen. 23. Some rain. 24. Strong 

 gale from the S. W. 



February 26 and 28, 1832. Beautiful aurora. Much rain on the 

 2d and 3d of March. 



March 21, 1833. Aurora resembling the dawn: wind N. 22. 

 Cold S. E. wind, with drizzling showers, and some snow. 



I might farther remark, that on those nights when the aurora bo- 

 realis is brightest, there is a more copious formation of dew than at 

 other times ; and as it is now generally admitted that electricity is the 

 principal, if not the sole agent in precipitating, in the form of rain and 

 dew, the aqueous vapour held in solution by the atmosphere, I should 

 think that the influence manifested by the aurora in this operation, is 

 a strong proof of its electrical origin. 



The Luminous arch is a modification of the aurora borealis of great 

 grandeur, but of rare occurrence. Having witnessed several of these, 

 a short account of them may not perhaps be deemed inappropriate in 

 this place. One of these arches was seen here in 1816, a second in 

 1824, a third in 1826, a fourth in 1827, and a fifth in 1828. The 

 last mentioned one was observed on the evening of the 15th of Sep- 

 tember. About half past eight o'clock a stream of white light ap- 

 peared in the "N. W., and another in the opposite point of the com- 

 pass, which gradually, though almost imperceptibly, approached each 

 other, and, uniting, formed the arch about nine. This arch was about 

 the apparent breadth of a rainbow, but extended from horizon to 

 horizon, passing nearly through the zenith, and had a considerable 

 curvature in its centre, and another near its western extremity. It 

 continued with different degrees of brightness for about a quarter of 

 an hour, and then slowly faded away, the centre disappearing first. 

 The atmosphere towards the north was clear, but the southern portion 

 was crowded with gloomy clouds. On the evening of the 23d of 

 August, 1830, I had the pleasure of beholding another luminous arch. 

 The northern part of the sky was clear; in the east dwelt a few 

 stationary clouds, on one of which the eastern limb of the arch rested, 

 whilst the other was lost amongst a number of dark nimbose clouds 

 that overspread the western sky. These clouds extended from N. W. 

 to S. ; and the direction of the arch was from N. E. to S. W. Flashes 

 of light, like those of the aurora, seemed occasionally to issue from 



