The Sun.
London, England, 1801-12-16 00:00:00

REMARKABLE AURORA BOREALIS.

On Saturday se'nnight, between eight and ten
at night, the Aurora Borealis was seen at Edin_
burgh, and assumed a most, extraordinary appear-
ance. The whole Northern ,part of the Horizon
was covered with a,:thin, transparent, luminous
cloud, which emitted almOst as, much ligfit. as the
Moon when three days old. This luminous cloud
appeared sometimes settled; and totally free from
all manner of motion or agitation at other times
the agitation was extremely great ; and' the Carus-
cations or streams of li2ht, which, were perpendi-
cular to the Horizon, flew with such a rapid motion
from East to West, and from '\Vest to east, as' 'to
exhibit a speaacle the most grand and sublime which
could possibly be imagined. One of-these
cations, which 'appeared in the North-West, is par-
ticularly deserving of notice. - By comparing it
with the distance between' some: fixed Stars in the
Heavens, with which I was acquainted, its-length
appeared to be about thirteen degrees, and its
breadth half a degree. Its Western.edge Was tinged
with red-and violet, the most •and least refrangible
rays of- light ; and its brilliancy was, almost equal
to that of the Moon, in !ler first quarter, when the
Sun is a few degrees below the Horizon. - -
This curious phenOmenon, which has so fre-
quently astonished the minds of\ the vulgar, and per-
plexed the ingenuity of Philosophers, seems to be
the offspring of some cause which the sagacity of
man'may never, discover. The appearances which
it assumes are so various, the periods of its re..
,turn are so irregular, and it appears to be so dif-
ferent.from any of the other phenomena of Nature,
that it seems almost impossible to refer it to any
general principle. Some philosophers, indeed, sup-
pose it to have a relation to the magnetic,effluvta,
which they suppose to circulate from one Pole of
the Earth to the. other. And the celebrated art-ER
has endeavored to account for the Aurora Borealis,
by supposing it to arise from the, particles of the
atmosphere being accUmulated in the polar regions
by the force of the solar rays,, and there illuminated
by the light of the Sun. But as this hypothesis is only
an ingenious corijeaure, and 'as it does not account
for those Coruscakions and•that undulatory motion,
which universally accompany the Aurora Borealis,
it does not deserve the name Of-an explanation.—
From some circumstances which took place on Sa-
rurd,ay,evening, we might be led
.to suspOt that
this phenomenon is same wayor other connected with
deelricity. During that evening-a whizzing kind
of noise was heard in the air, exactly similar to the
sound which always' accompanies the eleetric spark
foam the glass cylinder to the conduar.4 :* and I was
informed by a friend, that, during the time when
the Coruscations were most vivid, the top of St.
(.;iles!s steeple seemed to emit
,rays, of light in all
direaions, in eyery resped similar. to a glass jar
when surcharged with the clearic fluid. During
the greater part of- thait 'evening, a' large 'Black
cloud was situated in the North point 'of, the Hori-
zon-; and,' about ten o'clock, When this cloud se-
parated in to
.several .parts, , the
,Coruscations imme-
diately ceased, and- the height of the luminous
cloud grzidually '
*Y. s•• y • • •
Lam. ursb, Dec,: 7th, ino t. •

. .
viLait Wednesday tiftetnoon, as a tenant belonging
o An* old licuse in:Great Guildii:irdreet, in the
toraugh,,Way.Te,lnoving his.goods; he had proceed-
ed from .the plaCe but a few yaess,.' when the whole
frop't, of thz*.lotise tumbled...to, the ground with a
groat noise, which greatly alarmed the•neighbour.
hoo.,.,:Nras3enger. going•Py at
.the time was t,,,:ar
being bored in the rains. •

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