106 
REV. J. FARQUHARSON’S EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE 
the Manse of Tullynessle very near the zenith. Now the Manse of Tullynessle 
is about one point E. of due N., distant from this place little more than two 
miles in a direct line. It is in a narrow side valley that enters northward into 
a ridge of hills, the nearest summits of which are nearly two miles from here, 
about the N. point of the magnetic meridian. These are the summits that 
were capped by the clouds, to the region of which the Aurora was confined the 
whole evening. A line drawn over them at mag. E. and W. would pass very 
nearly over Mr. Paull’s station. The height therefore of this particular Aurora 
at its upper extremities, did not exceed 4000 feet above the level of this 
place. 
In my paper on the Aurora borealis, which the Royal Society honoured with 
a place in their Transactions of 1829, I stated “that I have here seen the 
meteor much more frequently in the form of a light near the northern horizon, 
than in any other form.” Mr. Paull’s observation has convinced me, that the 
true place of this light near the horizon is often no other than the nearest 
mass of hills to the north. 
If any doubt had yet remained regarding the height of the region occupied 
by the meteor, this observation would have determined the point. The merit 
of first accurately ascertaining that region is due to Lieutenant Hood and Dr. 
Richardson, by their observations at Cumberland House and Basquiaw Hill. 
It is the region immediately above that of the clouds, and of course varies 
much in height with different states of the atmosphere. Although this region 
was very low on the 20th December, it is, we know, at times several miles 
high, agreeing with the observations of those distinguished travellers. I have 
seen the Aurora here when the height of the clouds could not be estimated at 
less than two or three miles ; and I state this again more precisely, because I 
understand what I had formerly said, has, by some persons, been misunderstood 
to imply, that its height never exceeds six or eight thousand feet. 
Captain Franklin and Dr. Richardson first observed also the connection of 
the Aurora with the formation of clouds. The latter even says, “I am inclined 
to infer that the Aurora borealis is constantly accompanied by, or immediately 
precedes, the formation of one or other of the various forms of cirro-stratus.” 
He could not however determine whether the Aurora was dependent on the 
formation of the cloud, or the formation of the cloud on it. I conceive the 
