The view of the northern horizon at this place is cut off by a dense forest of firs, and the sight of the heavens in that direction is some 5 or 6 degrees above the horizon.

8. Observations at Hamilton, C. W. (lat. 43° 16' N.), by Dr. J. HURLBURT.

Answers to the questions in our first article, vol. xxviii, p. 408. 1. On the 28th of August the sky was overcast by a dark sombre cloud-like substance, but which was not cloud as the stars could be seen through it. There was no dark segment resting on the northern horizon, but one was seen at the south between 8 and 9 P. M. rising 8° or 10° in the centre. Sept. 1st between 8 and 9 P. M. this dark segment was well defined at the north, with an altitude of about 10°, and skirted the horizon fully 120°. At 1 A. M. Sept. 2d, an unusually large segment was distinctly defined at the south, where it rose fully 15° in the centre, and stretched over 130° of the horizon.

2. At 8 P. M. Aug. 28th, and from 1 to 3 A. M. Sept. 2d, the streamers of the aurora converged to a point a little east of the meridian, and 15° or 20° south of the zenith, forming a brilliant

corona.

3. Aug. 28th, both in the southwest and southeast there was a dark red spot about 14° in breadth, and extending from altitude 35° to alt. 55°. Both spots presented the same appearance, and hung in corresponding parts of the heavens east and west.

4. At 1 A. M. Sept. 2d, the whole of the southern half of the sky was lighted up, resembling the sky at late dawn.

5. On the night of Aug. 28th, the most frequent and conspicuous color was red and its different shades. The aurora of Sept. 1st was scarcely at all marked with any of these colors. The light was chiefly white, resembling the dawn just before sunrise. 6. The aurora of Aug. 28th was most brilliant at 8 P. M. It was also very brilliant at 1 and 3 A. M. Aug. 29th. The aurora of Sept. 2d was most brilliant at 1 A. M.

9. Observations at Rome, N. Y. (lat. 43° 13′), by Mr. EDWARD

HUNTINGTON.

During the auroral display on the evening of Sept. 2d, there was a very rapid and incessant flashing of white light, like waves running up to the corona, the light being intermitted for some seconds after the passage of each wave, and the next wave pursuing the same course, and following certain curvatures which remained constant for a considerable time, perhaps half an hour. There was a succession of waves flashing up from a point in the northwest, where the effect was as if a luminous fluid were in its course passing through a narrow strait, from which it issued,

expanding like water violently forced through a narrow passage out upon a broad level area, and being at the same time somewhat deflected from its former course. Fig. 1 is designed to convey some idea of this appearance.

10. Observations at Cleveland, Ohio (lat. 41° 31'), by Capt. B. A. STANARD.

Aug. 28th, at 8h 30m P. M., the aurora began to show itself, lighting up the northern sky, rising towards the zenith, in a broad belt of luminous haze of about 40° in width, the southern edge starting a little to the westward of the star Arcturus, and running through the head of Hercules, a little south of Altair in Aquila, through the head and neck of Pegasus. The eastern end was bright enough to light up the edges of the detached masses of cumuli that were driving over from the north. In the zenith and the western end it was of moderate brightness.

At 9 P. M. another belt began to rise up in the north, and as the convex edge attained a height of about 40° it began to shoot out long, attenuated, bright rays, close together, moving slowly to the westward, and reaching to the zenith. Near the convex edge they were of a bright yellow, changing as they shot up to

orange, and near the zenith to a bright red, the middle and lower ends remaining yellow and orange. As the fiery points of the rays shot into the broad belt overhead, which had still remained like a belt of luminous haze or fog, the whole thing was changed in an instant into a bright red color, deepening as it neared the eastern horizon, to a bright crimson, and at the western end, near the star Arcturus, into a bright scarlet, gradually growing fainter in the zenith, and increasing in brightness nearer the horizon.

At 9h 15m P. M. it resolved itself into converging rays. The zenith at that time was covered by a massive cloud, covering the point where the rays would meet, which must have been near the star ẞ Cygni.

At 9h 30m P. M. the whole had disappeared, except a steady white light in the north, very bright, forming a curve from the western edge of Böotes, through Cepheus and Perseus. The northern horizon was too clouded the whole time to see anything near it.

Sept. 2nd, at 7h 45m P. M., the northern lights began to show, forming a low narrow arch extending from the N. W. to N. E., the lower edge about 10° in height, well defined, of moderate brightness, and remaining without perceptible change until 8h 45m P. M., when bright vertical rays shot up simultaneously the whole length of the arch, of an exceedingly bright white color, with no perceptible motion E. and W. Shooting slowly up towards the zenith, at an altitude of about 45°, they began to change color rapidly, varying from white, yellow, orange, and at the upper ends red; diffusing a soft pink color over the northern sky at an altitude of about 45°. At 9 P. M. they gradually disappeared, the arch was broken up, leaving some irregular white blotches in the north, which faded away and disappeared altogether. Then commenced a series of quick, sudden flashes of undefined light; here and there in the north, scimetars bearing a strong resemblance to heat lightning, sometimes in undefined rays, and sometimes in undefined shimmering light.

This continued until 9h 45m P. M., when a double arch was formed of two narrow belts of light about 15° in height, running from Canes Venatici to the southern edge of Perseus, the bright star Capella shining through the narrow black space between the two arches.

At 9h 55m P. M. bright rays suddenly shot up in quick successive flashes from the lower through the upper arch, reaching nearly to the zenith, and moving slowly to west until they reached the constellation Corona Borealis, lighting up the north western sky with yellow, orange and red. After the last rays from the east had passed the Pole, there commenced a sudden flashing of horizontal wavy bands from the upper arch towards the zenith.

At 10h 10m P. M. the rays and arches disappeared and the northern sky seemed to be covered with a steady white light, with horizontal wavy bands of dark haze rolling up in quick succession, and vanishing as they attained an altitude of about 60°, continuing until 10h 30m P. M. and gradually fading away. 11. Observations at Fort Bridger, Utah Ter. (lat. 41° 14', long. 110° 33'), by KIRTLEY RYLAND, Assist. Surgeon U. S. Army. Sept. 1st, 1859, a brilliant aurora was seen at this place. It was first observed about 11 P. M. and attained its greatest brilliancy before midnight. It extended from the northeastern horizon to the southern horizon, and was in fact a Borealo-Austral Aurora. Generally the light assumed the form of spikes and bars, but high above the horizon in the northeastern sky was a large blotch or spot, whose diameter was perhaps three times that of the constellation Orion. This blotch was of a deep crimson color, and remained for a considerable time unchanged in form, color or intensity, and faded gradually away. In the other portions of the aurora the light appeared to spout from the horizon, in the shapes already named, frequently reaching the zenith, and was of great brilliancy. It appeared to flow gradually from N.N.E. to the southern sky.

12. Observations made at Cantonment Burgwin, New Mexico (lat. 36° 21', long. 105° 42'), by W. W. ANDERSON, Assist. Surgeon U. S. Army.

A member of the guard mounted Sept. 1st observed a light reflected from the clouds on that night about 10 P. M. as he was walking post, the clouds having probably just then thinned out or broken away a little. No other member of the guards from Aug. 28th to Sept. 5th saw anything unusual during the intervening nights. By reference to the Meteorological Register I find that the weather was cloudy during the whole time that the aurora was visible elsewhere. There was rain on the last four days of August, and also on the 1st, 2nd and 4th of September.

The exhibition was witnessed at Taos, about ten miles north of us, by persons residing there, but was not observed with sufficient attention to enable them to answer any of your questions with accuracy. A physician, Dr. Ferris, who arrived at Taos from Pike's Peak during the fall, states that he was in the South Park at the time, and thinks that it was on the night of the 28th of August that the Aurora was observed by him. He saw it but one night. Streamers were seen to converge to the zenith about 10 P. M., but the aurora was not seen in the southern half of the heavens. The light was like a large fire in the distance, so that at first it was thought to be an extensive fire on the

mountains. The aurora exhibited sudden flashes, and there were pulsations like waves of light rushing up from the horizon. I have been told that Capt. John G. Walker, of the Rifle Regiment, wrote a description of the aurora as it appeared at Fort Defiance (lat. 35° 44'), where it is said to have been very brililant.

13. Observations at the Sandwich Islands (lat. 20° N., long.

157° W.), from the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.

The Advertiser of Sept. 8th, 1859, states: "There was quite a display of the Aurora a few nights since, visible at Honolulu. Broad fiery streaks shot up into and played among the heavens, almost as beautifully as those which are sometimes seen in more northern climes."

The Advertiser of Sept. 17th contains the following letter from S. E. Bishop, dated Lahaina, Sept. 9th. "Your statement that the Aurora was seen in Honolulu enabled me to account for the phenomenon I observed here a few nights since. At 10 P. M. I noticed a bright, unsteady crimson glow upon the sky, extending from N. E. to N., and about 35° of altitude. It resembled the reflection of a great conflagration at twenty or thirty miles distance, and I attributed it to heavy fires on the other side of the mountain. I was puzzled however by the fact that the clouds which rested on the mountain did not give the slightest reflection of the supposed fire. Moreover the light was far too pure and rich a crimson to have been caused by a fire.

14. Observations at Porto Rico, West Indies (lat. 18° N.), by M. du COLOMBIER, from L'Institut of Feb. 1st, 1860.

Having awakened at 2h 30m A. M., Sept. 2nd, I was greatly astonished to see my windows, which looked towards the north, brightly illumined by a brilliant purple light. Rising immediately, I perceived that this light proceeded from a magnificent aurora, which, according to the testimony of the guard, commenced at 2h A. M. and was observed till 4h a. M. The luminous rays, red, purple and violet, extended even to the zenith. The oldest inhabitants of the place declared that they had never before seen a phenomenon of this kind.

15. Observations at Santiago de Chili (lat. 33° 26' S.), by C. MOESTA, Director of the Observatory.

The aurora you allude to did occur at this and several other places in the south of Chili, during the night between Sept. 1st and Sept. 2nd, 1859. I did not witness the phenomenon myself, but it appears that the aurora was visible from about half past 1 until 4 A. M., showing a motion to the west. The watchmen were much alarmed at the colored light with which the southern