Des Arc citizen., 1859-09-07

A MAGNIFICENT SPEcTAcLE.-On lhurs- day night, commencing about 10 o'clock, we beheld. in this region, one of those magnificent sDeetacles which occur but rarely in this lati- tade A column of light shot up from the Northern horizon phosphorescent and span cled with innumerablc rays, which soon deep ened and widened until t tspread over the vast canopy above. It may have been the AURORA BoaEALIs or Northern Light, but it was un- like the previous demonstrations of that won derful phenomenon as we have several times beheld it in more Northern attitudes. The light was disseminated over the entire space of mother earth-houses, trees and other ob- iects made no shade. The pilots of the steam CT Sam Hale, which boat passed up on Friday morning, affirm that they could see objects as well as in broad day-Iight-that no shad- ows were perceptible from any source- that the light shone as brightly on the South ern side as it did upon the Northern side of every object.
 Bayard Taylor gives the following descrlp- ton of the appearance of the Aurora, near the pole, when at Haparanda, near the head of the Gulf of Bothnia:
 It was dark when we reached Ersnas, whence we had twelve miles to Old Lulea, with tired horses, heavy roads, and lazy driver. laid down again, dosed as usual, and tried to forget my torments. So passed three \ hours; the night had long set in, with clear sky, thirteen degrees below zero, and sharp 4 wind blowing. All at once, an exclamation from Braisted aroused me. opened my eyes, as I lay on his lap,sand looked upward, and saw a narrow belt or scarf of silver fire & stretching directly across the zenith, with it's & loose frayed ends slowly swaying to and fro down the slopes of the sky Presently it be- $ gan to waver, bending back and forth, some # times slowly, sometimes with quick, spring ing motion, as if testing it's elasticity. Now Rz it took the shape of bow, now undulated in- # to Hogarths line of beauty, brightening and M fading iii it's sfnnous motion, and finally form # ed shepherds crook, the end of which sud- # denly began to separate and fall off, as if driv- l# en by strong wind, and the whole belt shot away in long, drifting lines of fiery snow. It then gathered again into dozen dancing Fragments, which alternately advanced and re- @ treated, shot hither and thither against and across each other, blazed out in yellow and N rosy gleams, or paled again, playing thou sand fantastic pranks, as if guided by some wild whim.
 a .ssz We lay silent, with upturned faces, watch
 lns this wonderful spectacle. Suddenly, the zNo'eeied llghEs ran together, ana as Dy coh, non impulse, joined their bright ends, twisted hem through each other, and fell, in broad $l aminous curtain, straight downward through ,le air, until it's fringed hem swung apparent ss|s!y but few yards over our heads. This phe' omenon was so unexpected and startling tha
 moment I thought our faces would bt
 ached by the skirts of the glorious aurora
 apefy. It did not follow the spheric curve
 siaI Sne Armament, but hung plumb from the ze'
 l, falling, apparently, millions of leagues
 ssooug ouga the air, it's folds gathered together
 noAg the stars, and it's embroidery of flamt
 sPins the earth and shedding pale, un'
 my radience over the wastes of snow. A
 olent afterwards and it was again drawn up
 eel' waved its Aambeaux, and shot it
 ces hither and thither, advancing and re-
 eatlng as before. Anything so strange, SC
 FIclous, so wonderfdl, so gloriously beauti spi' scarcely hope to see again.
 - The Bank Of America, Clarksville
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