Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-10-28
A DARK DAY IN QUEBEC.

We experienced to-day one OF those dark
days which occur every two or three years,
about the fall of the year. 1t was perhaps more
remarkably dark than any Tor NUMBER oi
years past The atmosphere was almost per
fectly calm, the thermometer at about 81 OF Fan
renheit There was very little haze IN the SCUM,
ern hemisphere but particularly over neau, anu
to the NORTH the sky was nearly ooscurea ny
thick clouds of dark color, in mouon from
west to east, which, as they grew less dense,
gave the whole air a dark orange nnge. FROM
half past two to five o'clock, twas necessary TO
light candles to transact any ordinary business,
and there was not more light than exactly at
the first dawn of the day. About O'Clock, the
dark orange of the atmosphere began 10 assume
a white straw color. There had been some ram
in the interval, and the thermometer had iailen
four or five degrees, and again rose to nifty.
The clouds over head moved more rapidly, but
still from west to east while haze prevailed
along the earth, with the same dead calm ana
occasional rain. light breeze sprung up from
the south west, and the light began to increase,
until il resumed its usual force on cloudy day
at quarter past FIVE.
It seems difficult 10 account for these appear
ances. The whole upper state OF the Amos
phere was suddenly much condensed, and sur
charged with vapor and smoke, Wnlle along tne
earth itself YOU could see the distant noun
tains. 1t is also remarkable that when such
DAYS occur while snow lies on the ground it is
found covered with kind of dust or ashes; and
hence they are supposed 10 be produced, IN some
measure. by the smoke of fires driven eastward
and occupying fixed spot during the calm
weather.
The Montreal Gazette says:
"Friday was very remarkable day, al
though, in this country not without precedent
The morning was one of those mornings OF
lowering appearance, accompanied by strong
wind from the South, which usually indicates
much rain About twelve O'Clock the atmos.
phere over head was extremely dense, and the
horizon to the southwark clear; producing q
singular effect The wind shifted from its orr
ginal quarter and followed the Sun to the West,
ward from whence it blew with great violence
By one O'Clock the day began to darken to an
unusual degree; and the wind itself felt hot
By two, the darkness was inconvenent and by
three O'Clock it was such as to cause the Court
of Kings Bench to be adjourned; to obhge al
those who had business to transact, to resort to
the aid Of candles; and to work strongly upon
the nerves and apprehensions of the weak
The wind having died away, this darkness con
tinued till very near five O'Clock, when breeze
sprung up which cleared the atmosphere to 1t:
usual brightness and lightness, the mist which
had enveloped us passing away to the eastward
&c We have little doubt that this unusual state
of the atmosphere was produced by some unu
sually large fire in the woods to the S. w. of the
city, for we remarked that the rain water which
fell during the continuance Of the darkness, wa:
not only dlscooured, but black; having smell
of fire, and tasting strongly of smoke.
at is to be remarked that similarly darF
day. but accompanied by darkness of deeper
cast and longer duration, occurred in 1919
and on the 18th Of October, 1885, (of which
yesterday happened to be the anniversary there
was day of darkness which inspired an almos
universal terror. A day when, as in the lant
of Egypt, the stoutest hearts quaied, beior'
what they conceived the visitation Of omnipo
tence. On the day of which we are now speak
ing, the atmosphere had, by IL O'Clock at moor
become so dense, that when any one passed oil
either side Of the street, the listener to his foot
thing beyond a sort of opaque moving shadow
and there was no intermlssion of darkness, un
til the rising of the Sun next morning"
| Quebec Gazette I'm.