OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
143 
an arch, but inclined to the shape of shepherds’ crooks, as described on 1820, 
the 15th of January, and often remarked by former observers ; but they 
were neither so brilliant nor so well-defined as when we saw them before. 
About a quarter before eight, as we were returning on board from the 
observatory, the low arch to the westward first described, and which 
had never altogether disappeared, increased considerably in brilliancy. 
It was still, however, so irregular as to appear in detached roundish 
clouds or blotches, from which the pencils, which shot upwards, appeared 
immediately to proceed. These pencils, which were infinitely varied 
both in length and breadth, were observed fo have also a slow, though very 
sensible lateral motion from north to south, and vice versa ; and we remarked 
on one occasion that, when two of them met, and had the appearance of over- 
lapping, they produced, for about fifteen seconds, the most intense degree 
of light we had yet seen from the Aurora. The pencils appeared generally 
to travel bodily in one direction, but sometimes to widen out in both at the 
same time. We were all decidedly of opinion, that the fixed stars were 
very perceptibly dimmed by this phenomenon, which gradually disappeared 
by nine o’clock. 
It was a source of much satisfaction to find, at noon to-day, that the sun, Frid. 11. 
even with one degree of meridian altitude, had some power to affect the 
mercury in the thermometer, which rose from —40° to —35° when exposed to 
its rays ; and, as the sun gradually declined, it fell again to —40° in an 
hour or two. 
The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the 
continuance of intense cold, was so great as constantly to afford matter of 
surprise to us, notwithstanding the frequency with which we had occasion to 
remark it. We have, for instance, often heard people distinctly conversing, 
in a common tone of voice, at the distance of a mile ; and to-day I heard a man 
singing to himself as he walked along the beach, at even a greater distance 
than this. Another circumstance also occurred to-day, which may perhaps 
be considered worthy of notice. Lieutenant Beechey, and Messrs. Beverly 
and Fisher, in the course of a walk which led them to a part of the harbour, 
about two miles directly to leeward of the ships, were surprised by suddenly 
perceiving a smell of smoke, so strong as even to impede their breathing, till, 
by walking on a little farther, they got rid of it. This circumstance shews to 
what a distance the smoke from the ships was carried horizontally, owing 
to the difficulty with which it rises at a very low temperature of the at- 
