felt in England, November 18, 1795. 3% 
« storm. About sunset these clouds were very much dis- 
“ persed ; the air became clear, felt sharp and elastic, and 
44 every appearance of a frost came on in the northern parts of 
“ the sky. When the company assembled in the south draw- 
“ ing-room, previous to dinner, my attention was much struck 
“ with the aspect of the sky in the south and south-east quar- 
44 ter ; in this direction, a cloud, very black and lowering, ex- 
44 tended itself over this part of the hemisphere. The margin 
44 of the cloud, which was nearly parallel to the horizon, was 
44 fringed, to the extent of at least forty degrees, from the south 
44 towards the east, and to the breadth of perhaps a degree and 
44 a half, with a very bright white light, which had very much 
“ the appearance of white satin. This light was shaded, to its 
44 whole extent, as it were with a veil of a deep muddy purple 
“ colour. The white light, seen below this gloomy purple 
44 haze, and farther contrasted by the very dark surface of so 
“ extensive and lowering a cloud, formed a very striking ap- 
“ pearance ; so much so as to induce me to call Lord Mid- 
44 dleton, and others of the company, to the window, to look 
44 at it, and to remark to them, that the very angry and trou- 
44 bled aspect of the sky led me to apprehend we should have 
44 more of the tempest in the course of the night. I will here 
44 remark that it was now near five o’clock ; the sun was gone 
44 down too low to cast any considerable degree of light on 
“ the clouds near the western horizon, much less could he il- 
44 luminate any cloud so low in the south-east as this was with 
44 so bright a light. The moon, indeed, was near the western 
“ extremity of this cloud ; but its light, even had it been a 
44 full moon, (whereas it yet wanted more than twenty-four 
^ 4 hours of being in the first quarter,) was far too weak to cast 
