The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-12 00:00:00

THE AURORA BOREALIS.

Mr. Kinahan, of the Geological Survey of Ireland,
writing to Nature, says --"In many parts of Ireland a
scarlet aurora is supposed to be a shower of blood.' In
1854, while stationed at Bearhaven, county Cork, a
scarlet aurora that then appeared was said to be
the blood of the people that were slain at
Balaklava. About two years ago, while driving be-
tween Oughterard and Clifden, at two o'clock in the
morning, there was a magnificent scarlet aurora (by far
the most brilliant I ever saw), on which the car-driver
remarked, ' I wonder, can that be the blood of the Ame-
ricans ?' The late aurora is said to be the blood of the
Frenchmen. In the old annals showers of blood are
recorded at different times, always in connexion with a
great battle or the murder of some great chief. The
earliest I can remember is that of A.D. 688, in
the " Annals of Cloonmacnoise," after a battle
of the Leinster men and Ossory men (now in
the King's County, but formerly in Munster),
wherein Foylcher O'Moyloyer was slain. This battle
and shower of blood, in the Annals of the Four
Masters,' is said to have happened in the year A.D. 690.
These annals also mention that butter was turned into
the colour of blood and a wolf was heard to speak ; while
the Annals of Tigernach ' place the battle in A.D. 693,
and say that the blood flowed in streams for three days
and three nights. During the aurora I saw about two
years ago, and the two nights that the last aurora was
seen here, the lakes and rivers looked to be full of
blood."

LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE STAGE.

The Athenceum, has the following :—Mr. Macdowal has
resigned his membership of the Royal Acadmy, on ac-
count of ill-health. He was born in 1799, elected Associate
of the Royal Academy in 1841, and a full member of the
body in 1846.—The autumn issue of the annual publica-
tions of the Arundell Society has been delayed, since two
of the chromoliths after Albert Purer, although com-
pleted, are in Paris, and, owing to the siege, cannot be
forwarded to London.—The centenary of Thorwaldsen's
birth has been celebrated at Copenhagen.—A new drama,
by Mr. Hazlewood, entitled " Wealth Won and Lost,"
has been played at the Britannia Theatre.—Miss Helen
Faucit has taken her leave of the Glasgow stage,
where she has been a great favourite. Her last appear-
ance was as Julia, in " The Hunchback," but she has
also played Lady Macbeth, Pauline, and Rosalind.—
The year 1871 being the centenary of Sir Walter Scott's
birth, our first number for the New Year will contain a
criticism of his writings, their character, and present in-
fluence.—Mr. Robert Buchanan's new lyrical drama on
the war, " Napoleon Fallen," will appear early next week.
—Balloon sorties from PariB have hitherto been simply
recorded. All details, scientific or otherwise, have been
wanting. This want is about to be supplied by M. de
Fonvielle, who promises to give a full account of his late
eccentric and eventful balloon voyage from Paris, in the
next number of Temple Bar. —Some of the ladies who are
students at the college at Hitchin, are at present at Cam-
bridge for the Little-Go. Not being members of the
university, they are not admitted to the examination;
but, like everybody else, they can obtain the papers after
they have been given out in the Senate House, and the
examiners have consented to look over their answers pri-
vately.
The Orchestra says :—We regret to hear of the illness of
Mr. W. C. Levey, the orchestral conductor at Drury
Lane—an illness which precludes the execution of his
duties.—The Royal Court Theatre (Sloane-square) will
shortly open with a company, including Messrs. Belford,
Edward Righton, Robert Astley, Miss Maggie Brennan,
Miss Eleanor Bufton, Miss Kate Bishop, and Mrs.
Stephens. Negotiations are also pending with Mr. Her-
mann Vezin and Mr. Frank Matthews.—Mr. Arthur
Sketchley is about to publish " Mrs. Brown at the Play "
—the first and best of the Brown Papers. With this
issue the adventures of Mrs. Brown in public may appro-
priately close.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—HaIf--a-Crown Day, Satur-
day, Dec. 10th, 1870.=-Admission by season tickets, 3,865 ;
ditto on payment, 998 ; total visitors, 4,773. •

- _
Dr. Russell is tiring of Versailles, " There are many
persons here who, without any great desire to get into Paris
now, would be very grateful for a chance of getting out of
Versailles. I admit I am among them. There is an old
saying, `You may go further and fare worse.' The fare
is not bad, but a long journey on bad food would be pre-
ferable to the monotony of this chilly Capua.

CAN I AFFORD IT?—Under this quaint title Messrs.
Letts, Son and Co. publish a system of everyday book-
keeping so simple and yet so complete as to be of use
even to very partially educated persons ; a system, too,
which, if generally adopted, would keep many a straggling
householder from running into debt and danger; The
books to be used are three, which we would recommend
Messrs. Letts to bind into one volume, staining the edges
in different colours, and then, indeed, each head of a family
without trouble could answer the pertinent query, " Can
I afford it?"