Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-11-26

unDarQOndDIe OHenCt. Ocu. shChoonS
ter passion is thirst for conquest. He feels
thai he has been defeated in Tennessee, and
power affords him no qualification but as the
means and end Of victory: Those about him
know his weak points, aud they intend to use
him. We cannot believe that Mr.. Van Bu-
rem would plunge The country into wa- with
France, although there are many who rejoice
in the hope of the spoiis. in the shape OF fat
contracts and ofices.-Wash. Telegraph.
/ ~
! The following description of the late beau
tifn phenomenon is from Professor Olmsted.
of Yale College.
CFrom the New Haven Herald.
! AuRORAL PHENOMENON.-Last night, our
northern hemisphere was adorned with a dis
play of auroral lights remarkably grand and
diversified. II was first observed at fifteen
minutes before o'clock, (mean time,) when
an illumination of the whole northern sky,
resembling the break Of day, was discernable
through the openings in the clouds. About
10 degrees east of north, was broad column
of shining vapor tinged with crimson, which
appeared and disappeared at intervals. A
westerly wind moved off the clouds, render
ing the sky nearly clear by o'clock, when
two broad white columns which had for some
time been gathering between The sars Aq,i-
la and Lyra on the west, aud tbe PleIades aud
Aries on the east, united above, SO rs To COM
plete a luminous arch, spanning the heavens
u little south Of the prime vertical. The
whole northern hemisphere, being more or
less illuminated, and separated from the
southern by this zone, was thrown into strik-
ing contrast with the latter, which appeared
of dark slate color, as though the stars were
shining through stratum of black clouds.
The zone moved slowly to the south u"til
about 9 o'clock, when it had reached the
bright star in the Eagle in the west, and ex-
tended little south of the constellation Aries
in the east. From this tmc it began to re-
cede northward, at u nearly uniform rate,
until twenty minutes before II, when vast
number of columns, white and crimson, began
to shoot up, simultaneously, from all parts of
the northern hemisphere, directing their
course toward a point few degrees south
and east of the re .,i'h, around which they ar
ranged themselves as around a common focus.
The position Of this point was between the
Pleiades and lpha Arietis, and south of the
Bee, having a right ascension Of ~ degrees
and a declination Of "a degrees, as nearly as
could be determined without the aid of instru-
ments; but this comes SO near to the pole OF
the dipping needle and to the magnetic n,erid-
ian, that we need not hesitate to conclude
that, agreeably TO what has been observed Of
similar phenomena before, the columns ar
ranged themselves exactly in obedience to
the laws ofterrestrial magnetism.
Soon after II o'clock, commenced striking
display of those undulatory flashes, denomi-
mated in the northern regions, Merry Ddn-
GERS. They consist OF thin waves or sheets Of
light, cOursing each other with immense
speed. Those undulations which play upon
the surface Of field of rye, when gently ag-
tated by the wind, may give to the reader a
faint idea Of these auroral waves. One of
these crimson columns, the most dense and
beautiful of all, as it asccnded toward the
common focus, (the vanishing point Of per-
spective for parallel lnes,) crossed the planet
Jupiter, then at an altitude of rs degrees
The appearance WAS peculiarly interesting,
as the planet shone through the crimson cloud,
with its spendor apparently augmented rather
than diminished.
A few shooting stars were seen nt inter-
vals, some Of which wer, above the ordinary
magnitude and brightness. One that came
from between the feet Of the Great Bear, ut
y minutes after one o'clock, and fell apparent
ly near to the earth, exhibited very white
and dazzling light, and, as it exploded. scat
tered shining fragments, very much after the
manner of a sky rocket
As early rs o'clock, the magnetic needle
began to show unusual agitation, aud it has
been since carefully observed by Mr.. Loomis.
Near / o'clock, when the streamers were
rising. aud the corona forming, the distur-
bance Of the needle was very remarkable,
causing motion Of lo5 in five minutes time.
This disturbance continued until ten o'clock
this morning, the needle having traversed an
entire range of one degree and 40 minutes,
while its ordinary diurnal deAectinn is not
more then minutes.
The thermometer at llo'clock was at 80 ,,
t shortly fell to 81, and remained nearly at
his point during the rest of the night-a
icgree Of cold considerably below that of the
ew preceding nights. The ground this morn
ng was covered with copous white frost
Indicating an unusual deposition Of watery
'apOr.
AT about 3 o'clock, the sky grew cloudy,
md the moon rising shortly aiterward, farther
were prevented; but the. contin-
led disturbance Of the magnetic needle wonld
induce the belief, that the aurora continued
Trough the night, and even to late hour
his morning. u.
Yale College, Nov. ia.