meteorological observations. 
49 
Aurora Borealis. 
This phenomena, so unusual in southern lati- 
tudes, was presented here on the night of the 25th 
°f January past, with a grandeur and effulgence 
which, perhaps, surpassed any appearance of the 
kind ever witnessed as far south as the 35th degree. 
The aurora of the 17th of November, 1835, is 
well recollected by the inhabitants of this country 
as a phenomena entirely unusual. The corrusca- 
tions of light at that time were confined mostly to 
the neighborhood of the northern horizon, and were 
but imperfectly defined in their outlines. The color 
of the luminous clouds was but little varied, exhi- 
biting a pale colored appearance. The changes 
were slow, and hardly discernible. 
The aurora, of the 25th of January, presented 
much of the quick and beautiful changes peculiar 
to this phenomena in the high latitudes. The 
morning was cloudy until 9 o’clock. The day 
afterwards was clear and very fine, a gentle wind 
blew from the west. The thermometer stood at 27 
egrees at sunrise, and 32 at sunset. Barometer 
29.70 inches at sunrise, and 29.40 at sunset. As 
daylight declined, a bright, pale colored light was 
observed in the northern horizon, surmounted by a 
bioad, irregular, crimson colored arch, extending 
twenty or more degrees on each side of the pole, 
iom the vertex of which pale luminous, transparent 
pillars rose perpendicularly, reaching nearly to the 
zenit . The pillars seemed continually to be melt- 
b away into thin, red, transparent clouds, which 
VOL. VIII.— 1839. 7 
