( i8i ) 
Vertex , grew more dilute, till at laft it ended in a 
faint Whitenefs. That in reality it was no Cloud, but 
only a Vapour exceeding pure and limpid, was mani- 
feft, becaufe feveral of the fix’d Stars (hone thro’ it, 
without having their Light in any degree effac’d.- 
In the midft of this dark Bajis , about half an Hour 
pad fix, a lucid Area fhew’d it felf due N. Eaft, about 
55 deg. above the Horizon , and in lefs than aMi- 
nute from the time I firft difcover’d it, emitted a 
very large Pyramidal Stream of Ihining Vapour, 
which with an incredible Swiftnefs afcended ob- 
liquely towards S. S. Weft, fo as to leave the Zenith 
confiderably to the Weft ward, and very foon after, 
about the fame Place, fix others arofe at the fame 
inftant almoft to the Zenith . From this time till 48 
Minutes paft fix, we had repeated Projections of thefe 
lucid Rays, without any order as to Time, Place, or 
Magnitude. They did not only arife from behind 
the dark Bajis, but fometimes as it were out of the 
pure Sky^ and tho’ fome of them continu’d vilible 
more than a Minute, yet the greater part of them 
only juft ftiew’d themfelves and died away. I had 
now got to the Top of a convenient Obfervatory, 
where (though deftitute of InftrumentsJ I had a 
free ProfpeCt of the Horizon } and in company of 
another Gentleman, fix’d my felf with great Atten- 
tion, to expert the enfuing Phafes of this Pheno- 
menon* 
About 6 h. 55 m. between N. W. by North, and- 
W. N. Weft, we found the Reprefentation of a very 
bright Crepufculum, fuch as that which appears about 
20 Minutes after Sun-fet} from which arofe feveral; 
very large Beams of Light, not exactly erect towards; 
the Vertex , but fomewhat declining to the South ^ 
among. 
