[ 10 ° ] 
that would have refembled an Iris, had not the 
colours of it been different, feemed to be com- 
pletely formed. I fay, tc had not the colours of 
“ it been different becaufe the lower part was ex- 
ceeding black, but the other fubfufcous only and 
white. The exterior limb of this arch as far as the 
vertex was tinged with a pale yellow, that gave it no 
difagreeable appearance. The edges of it were at 
fil'd tolerably fmooth, and pretty well defined, but 
afterwards became rugged and irregular. The whole 
moved with the wind, from the fil'd to the laft mo- 
ment of its exidence. For a few minutes, it rendered 
the moon abfolutely invifible. That planet had, for a 
confiderable time before its approach, been fomewhat 
darkened by the thick hazy air; which, however, 
did not totally obfcure it. The trad: near the northern 
part of the horizon, contiguous to the meteor, was 
interfperfed with fufcous caliginous clouds, and that 
near the zenith with fome of a whitifh colour. All 
of them were very didinguidrable from the pheno- 
menon itfelf. They grew gradually paler and paler, 
till they were intirely difperfed. About y^ 2 5' P. M. 
all remains of the meteor were fo perfectly difiipated, 
that not the fainted: traces of them were to be feen. 
That this phenomenon was a Water-Spout , or 
rather the fil'd appearance of one, though the proper 
Spout itfelf was not vifi ble, will perhaps not be denied 
by any perfon moderately verfed in natural hi dory. 
The foregoing defcription feems to render this at lead 
extremely probable. This meteor made a confider- 
able impredion upon the minds of the vulgar here. 
Several of the lower fort of people, according to 
cudom, ' believed it to portend fome calamitous event. 
One 
