The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-11 00:00:00

AN UIVEXPECTED GUEST.

vrespondent of the Field writes :—" One 6/ Ilk
most reearkable instances of `getting up stairs,' 011
far thl equine race is concerned, occurred at Jones's,
-eailwaY Hotel, at Oxford, on Thursday night, Sep-
i2ber 7. A string of yearlings, belonging to Mr. J.
city:.Atn, arrived by train at the above-named
in chat:Ye" led to the railway Hotel by the people
certainly One of the most valuable of the lot—and
was told, abethat does not belie her pedigree, if, as I
ghter of Rambling Katie—escaped
from the handsel:Yu
groom, and, attracted by the
lights from the hie stud
whose room she ultin?r wishing to consult the lawyer,
down a narrow passage
‘ly succeeded in reaching, galloped
hotel—after dashing her
"ft. in length, into the hall of the
,d through the window of the
bar parlour, much to the cot.
,rnation of the inmatea,who
were quietly enjoying their 0 N .
t then through
the ball up the first flight oiTF'lr " .
s (twenty in number)
into the corridor or passage of thhotel upon which the
doors of the bed chambers opened. being
(eleven o'clock) only one bedroom d,
4.
was late at night
unfastened,
and this happened to be the one of our•ri„d the lawyer
—No. 7—into which the excited animairushed, jumped
on the huge old-fashioned bedstead, tearif4.the bed furni-
ture to ribbons, and then contrived to get Ite7 leg through
a cane-bottomed chair, and in her efforts to tree herself
of this incumbrance, demolished nearly all 'he lu-niture
in the room. In the meantime the stud groom rahup-
stairs, caught hold of her by the tail, and got her down,
when she was held by three or four other people who had
been attracted by the noise. The question then arose how
to get her downstairs. This was accomplished in the fol-
lowing manner: The whole of the shutters belonging to
the hotel were laid on the stairs and fastened, her legs were
tied tightly together, some rugs and mats were placed under
her back, and by main force she was dragged down the stair-
case, and safely landed in the hall, then taken out of the
front door into the street, where sha was released from her
bondage, and led to a loose box to enjoy a straw instead
of a feather bed. Strange to say, no damage was done to
the animal, except twenty or thirty skin deep wounds, the
principal of which were caused by the glass broken in the
bar parlour window. One curious circumstance, however.
remains to be told. No. 6 bedroom was occupied by an
Irishman, who, being a martyr to rheumatic gout, had
been compelled to crawl upstairs by means of a stick in
on hand, and holding on to the balustrade with the other.
Such, however was the terror excited by the unearthly row
in the next apartment that with three bounds he sprang
down the staircase into the hall. From that moment the
rheumatic gout left him ; he is now perfectly sound, and
can be called on to vouch for the fact.

AURORA BOREALIS.

The Daily IVcirs remarks that astronomers promise

several fine displays of the Aurora Borealis this autumn.
It may seem strange to many that a phenomenon of ■o
capricious and wayward a nature should thus be in a sense
predicted—though the exact days on which we are tolook
for auroras are not named. Still more surprising does it
seem that astronomers should have formed any anticipa-
tions respecting a phenomenon which appears to have no
connection at all with the motions or positions of the
celestial bodies. The explanation of the fact is even more
surprising than the fact itself. For the reason why astro-
nomers look for fine auroral displays this autumn is
founded on the fact that the sun's face is marked with an
unusual number of spots. Nothing at first sight could
appear more inconceivable than that the aspect of the
sun's face should be in any way associated with the
appearance of the northern streamers. Yet, in reality,
few physical relations have been snore conclusively esta-
blished than the one on which the predictions of astron-
omers respecting the aurora borealis have been founded.
That auroras are intimately associated with the
earth's magnetism Las now for many years been
au established fact. It was suspected long
since by Arago that the appearance of an aurora
is invariably accompanied by a disturbance of
the magnetic needle. But the singular fact that the
converse proposition seemed in no way true was at first
perplexing to him. The mcst violent action of the mag-
netic needle often took place when there was no sign of
auroral action in the sky. At last, however, the strange
discovery was made that it is not merely where an aurora
is in progress that the magnetic needle is disturbed, but
over a widely-extended region of the earth's surface-
-nay, in sunny instances (if not in all) over the whole
earth at the same moment of time. This being so, it be-
came obvious that the association between auroras and
magnetic disturbances is one that may exist even though
no aurora may be visible when magnetic disturbance is
in progress. A certain state of the ky is necessary for
the appearance of an aurora ; certain forms of cloud—the
mare's tail clouds of the sailor—must exist in the upper
regions of air, or no aurora will be seen, though the
action on which the appearance of an aurora depends
may be in full progress. Now, between the earth's
magnetism and the solar spots a close connection has been
found to exist. Two lines of evidence have established
the fact. First, the regular ircref.se and diminution of
the magnetic action in a cycle of about eleven years has
been found to accord in the closest manner with the
regular increase and diminution in the number of the
solar spots. This evidence, now confirmed by nearly half
a century's experience, is almost conclusive as it
stands. But the second line of evidence is even more to
the point. It has been found that the occurence of any
abnormal (or, at least, unusual) disturbance of the solar
surface is accompanied by the immediate occurence of a
magnetic disturbance thrilling in a moment through the
whole frame of the earth. In 18.59, Messrs. Carrington
and Hodgeon happened to be simultaneously observing
the sun at different observatories, when on a sudden each
observer noticed the appearance of a bright spot of light,
which traversed a part of the sun's surface (travelling
with enormous real velocity, though slowly in appearance),
and then vanished. At the same instant (it was found
subsequently) the self-registering magnetic instruments of
the Kew Observatory had been subjected to a violent
jerking motion. A magnetic storm immediately began to
rage throughout the whole earth. In America and Norway
telegraphic communication was interfered with, and in seve-
ral instances telegraphic offices were set on fire by the electric
fluid. Auroras appeared on the night immediately following,
and these auroras not only illuminated the Northern
skies, but were equally brilliant in the Southern hernia—

Phere. Signs were apparent on every hand in
fact, that the disturbance of the solar surface
had given rise to an intense disturbance which
had thrilled at once through the whole frame of the
earth. The first of the promised auroras was seen on
the night of September 5. It was not a brilliant one ; but
those who care to watch for a phenomenon of exceeding

interest and beauty, may feel assured that during
the next two or three months many notable auroral dis-
plays will be visible. It is to be hoped that our physicists
will have favourable opportunities for bringing the auroral

light under the wondrous powers of the spectroscope.
Already Mr. Huggins has obtained valuable information
in this way ; but systematic observation specially directed
to this end could not fail to be rewarded by interesting
I;.coveries.

One of the highest tides ever known is prophesied
.o take place on the Bth of next month.

INGENIOUS DEVICE.—A widow, occupying a large
house in a fashionable quarter in London, lately sent for
a wealthy solicitor to make her will, by which she disposed
of between fifty and sixty thousand pounds. He proposed
soon after, was accepted, and found himself the happy
husband of a penniless adventurer.
A diocesan church choral festival was celebrated in
Chester Cathedral on T hmsday. The numbes of choirs repro-
sented was forty-five, comprising about 800 voices. The
Dean of Chichester preached the sermon, in which he pointed
out impressively the importance of havieg good music in tho
sot vice of the sttnctuary. A collection of upwards of £5O,
in aid of the Church Festival Fuud, was subsequently made
from the congregation.

SAD SUICIDE.—A melancholy suicide has just
taken place. A German watchmaker, and his wife, living
rt, Camberwell, being Lard pressed for money, took council
bow to cut down their expenses, and it was agreed to
drown the dog, the keep of which cost 7d. per week. It
was a great pet, but the wife threw it off Southwark
Bridge. The loss of the dog seems to hare preyed upon
ner mind,•and a few days afterwards it is supposed that
she drowned herself, as her body was found in the Thames
at Iforselydown. At the inquest on Friday a verdict of
Temporary Insanity was returned.

A cuIDENT TO AN M.P,—lrish correspondents
report an accident of a very serious character which has
happened to Mr. Richard Joseph Devereux, M.P.
for Wexford, from the effects of which he stilt
lies in a very weakly condition. lie was stepping
into his croydon in George-street, Dublin, to drive
home in company with his wife, when he found that
the reins were not held by Mrs. Devereux, as he suppos,..d,
but were hanging down. lie was about to return for Up
reins when the pony ran away and threw him upon his
head violently against the ground. lie was so much
stunned from the effects of the fall that he remained in
a state of unconsciousness for nearly a quarter of an hour,
There was an ugly gash in the back of his head, and his
leg was dreadfully lacerated by the steps of the vehicle.
The pony continued to run until Mrs. Devereux...
screams attracted the attention of a man, who picked up
the reins and stopped him. Mr. Devereux was taken
into a house where he was visited by Dr. Crean and the
Rev. Walter Lambert, Having recovered sufficiently,
he was removed to his residence, Summer-hill. He is
exceedingly week from the effects of the wounds on his
head and leg, and the dreadful conclusion °eel ifoued by
the fall.