92 
the sky was covered with clouds and rain was falling. 
When looking at the most brilliant red light of the aurora a 
faint red light was seen at the red end of the spectrum, and 
beyond the bright white line towards the violet end two 
broad bands of faint white light. 
Mr. Thomas Harrison stated that he saw the aurora on 
last Sunday evening from 6 h 15 ra to 9 h 30 m and took spectro- 
scopic observations thereon from various parts of the sky. 
In each case, however, he discovered only one bright yellow 
line, situated between D and E, being on Kirchoff s scale 
about 1255 to 1260. He is not acquainted with any known 
substance that gives a corresponding line. The line through- 
out was very clear and decided both in the narrow and wide 
slit; but be failed to discover any continuous spectrum. 
The line was also very perceptible by reflection from those 
parts of the sky in which no trace of aurora was visible ; 
and although the streaks were both red and white, the 
spectroscope appeared to give the aurora as a mono- 
chromatic light. 
“Note on the Destruction of St. Mary’s Church, Crumpsall, 
on the 4th January, 1872, by Fire from a Lightning Dis- 
charge,” by Joseph Baxendell, F.R.A.S. 
The interest taken in the question as to the cause of the 
recent accident by lightning to St. Mary’s Church, Crumpsall, 
induces me to submit to the Society the following results of 
a careful examination of the lightning conductor, spouts, 
gas piping, &c., at the church and rectory, which I made on 
the 27th ultimo. 
The lower part of the conductor passes through an iron 
down-spout, and terminates in a common drain-pipe at a 
distance of only 3 feet 9 inches from the lower end of the 
spout, and at a depth of only about 18 inches below the 
surface of the ground. It has therefore no direct connection 
