203 
during the Expedition under Captain Parry. 
of it, which was straight and well defined, formed an angle 
of about 45° with the horizon. 44 Directly over its centre,” 
says Mr Fisher, 44 instead of straight lines, it had more the ap- 
pearance of an immense volume of smoke than any thing else. 
The whole was compared by our gunner to a powder magazine 
in a state of explosion. It is probable that this cloud had some 
connexion with the aurora borealis ; for after it had vanished, 
which took place about six o’clock, that phenomenon was seen 
in the same part of the heavens that the cloud occupied. It 
made its appearance, indeed, before the cloud disappeared en- 
tirely, but not before it had lost its radiated form, and disper- 
sed so much that nothing particular could be seen about it.” 
Mr Beechy informed Captain Parry that it shone brilliantly for 
half an hour, disappearing about four o’clock, and that the sun 
was on nearly the same bearing, and about 5° below the horizon. 
On the 15th January 1820, the Aurora Borealis was seen in 
the form of a 44 beautiful arch, coincident with the plane of 
the meridian, and extending from the southern to the northern 
horizon, a little to the east of the zenith. After remaining sta- 
tionary,” says Mr Fisher, 44 and of this shape for about ten 
minutes, it then formed an ellipsis of great extent, whose 
transverse diameter was also parallel with the plane of the me- 
ridian, and situated on the east side of it, and in such a position 
that the west side of the ellipsis reached the zenith. It remain- 
ed of this form only a few minutes, and then assumed a varie- 
ty of shapes, which were constantly varying, being chiefly shoot- 
ing in streams from the southern horizon to the zenith.” 44 At 
one time,” says Captain Sabine, 44 a part of the arch near the 
zenith was bent into convolutions, resembling those of a snake 
in motion, and undulating rapidly.” No sound whatever was 
heard. After three months absence, the sun re-appeared above 
the southern horizon on the ad of February; and during his 
appearance, a vertical column of beautiful pale red light extend- 
ed from the upper part of the sun’s zenith ; the colour of it 
was most brilliant near the sun, and diminished gradually as it 
went upwards. It was observed also, that it was not always of 
the same brilliancy, but that it twinkled, so that the upper part 
of it vanished altogether for a moment ; it then instantaneously 
brightened up as splendid as before ; this twinkling went on in 
