180 
Chester and Oldham, and these, on the whole, appear to 
show that the thick bed of till has a tendency to divide 
into several beds, parted by sands and gravels, generally to 
the north and east. This is especially seen near Manchester, 
where the middle sand and gravel at its junction with the 
thick bed of till is not observed overlying it, but cropping 
out from under it. 
At the Annual" Meeting of the Society, held on the 18th 
of April, 1871, 
Dr. Joule, F.R.S., drew attention to the remarkable 
atmospheric phenomenon which had been seen by several 
persons in Derbyshire and elsewhere, on the evening of 
Good Friday, April 7th, and stated that he had witnessed a 
similar appearance near Glasgow, on the day before it was 
observed in this neighbourhood. The perpendicular ray 
extended upwards from the sun to an altitude of 30°, and 
was very clearly defined. It was observed from half an hour 
before, until after the sun had set. The phenomenon was 
also witnessed, at the same time, by Professor J. Thomson, 
who was sailing on the Firth of Clyde. 
