OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
135 
described it as forming a complete arch, having its legs nearly north i 82 o. 
and south of each other, and passing a little to the eastward of the zenith. 
When I went upon the ice, the arch had broken up ; towards the southern 
horizon was the ordinary Aurora, such as we had lately seen on clear nights, 
being a pale light, apparently issuing from behind an obscure cloud, at from 
six to twelve degrees of altitude, extending more or less towards the east or 
west on different nights, and at different times of the same night, having no 
determined centre or point of bisection, the greater part, and even at times 
the whole of the luminous appearance being sometimes to the east, and some- 
times to the west of south, but rarely seen in the northern horizon, or beyond 
the east and west points of the heavens. This corresponds with the Aurora 
most commonly noticed in Britain, except that it is there as peculiar to the 
northern as here to the southern horizon, occasionally shooting upwards in 
rays and gleams of light. It was not distinguished by any unusual bril- 
liancy or extent on this occasion, the splendid part of the phenomenon being 
detached and apparently quite distinct. 
“ The luminous arch had broken into irregular masses, streaming with 
much rapidity in different directions, varying continually in shape and in- 
tensity, and extending themselves from north, by the east, to south. If the 
surface of the heavens be supposed to be divided by a plane passing through 
the meridian, the Aurora was confined, during the time I saw it to the 
eastern side of the plane, and was usually most vivid and in larger masses in 
the E.S.E. than elsewhere. Mr. Parry and I noticed to each other, that 
where the Aurora was very brilliant, the stars seen through it were somewhat 
dimmed, though this remark is contrary to former experience. 
“ The distribution of light has been described as irregular and in constant 
change ; the various masses, however, seemed to have a tendency to arrange 
themselves into two arches, one passing near the zenith, and a second about 
midway between the zenith and horizon, both having generally a north and 
south direction, but curving towards each other, so that their legs produced 
would complete an ellipse; these arches were as quickly dispersed as 
formed. At one time a part of the arch near the zenith was bent into con- 
volutions, resembling those of a snake in motion, and undulating rapidly, an 
appearance which we had not before observed. The end towards the north 
was also bent like a shepherd’s crook, which is not uncommon. It is diffi- 
cult to compare the light produced by an Aurora with that of the moon, 
because the shadows are rendered faint and indistinct by reason of the general 
