The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-05
The Atmospheric Phesscmea0 or Lest
Week.-Mrs. Aurora BOrcalia, Sudden
Squalls, Hail wnd snow.

Squalls, tn1i Hnd snow.
Many timid ard supcrstitious persons, even
among the most enlightened classes Of the cow-
murity, arc seriously apprchcnsivc that the
grand exhibitions Of the northern lights with
which the skies have been nightly Illuminated
all last week, were portentous omens of some
terrible event that is about to befal the world.
1t il an old superstition revived or rather one
that has never died out From the most remote
ages Of human existence atmospheric pheno-
mena have been always linked and connected,
at least in Imagination, with calamities Tho
most learned men have not only shared in this
belief, but have encouraged and strengthened
it. 1t was reserved for our days to have sage
and philosopher to make clear to our compre-
hension the wonderful mysteries Of those lights,
which tho Scotch know as merry dancers, but
with which we are more familiar by their
I.atir name Of aurora borealis to show us that
they are nothing more nor less than an indus
trial exhibition of inc upper air, siikery in
the clouds, whereat the magic shuttle flies
from horizon to zenith with speed that leaves
electricity tagging far behind. and to be pre-
pared to exhibit to the incredulous world
piece of the product of these heavenly looms.
But the Sage of Brooklyn Heights to the con-
trary notwithstanding, people still continue to
see in those flashing columns Of light superna-
sural manifestations Of impending calamties,
whether individual, national, or affecting the
whole race Of man. They believe, with the
Highland wizard who warned Lochiel. that
Coming events cast their shadows before;
4 hoI lx-h aao
modating enough to have come just before the
Italian campaign, or had even preceded the bat
tie of Soiferino, no reasoning could have got It
out of their minds that the one event was the
prognosic ofthe other. AS it is they can only fall
back upon the comet Of last fall, and attribute
to that celestial phenomenon the important
events that have recently transpired in Europe
Phenomena are not supposed to have any
reference to things past-oniy to things to come.
Therefore, the aurora bsrealis cannot apply to
the battle of Solferino or the peace of Villa
franca. 1t must be connected with something
III the future-war, or pestilence, or famine.
A correspondent, who signs himself "Scotus,"
declares himself in favor of the pestilentiGl
theory. He says he has it on good authority
tEuA tHe duiVld DolSiiio 10 q ouie picCuioOl Vi
cholera, and refers to the fact that that cpl
demic has already made its appearance
at Hamburg and London. What does
Merriam say to that? Is his "silkery
of the skies" to be thus converted
into battery whence pestilence is to be dis
charged on mortals? We knew physician
who solemnly declared that he once noticed
S-by' o-Aa e.4sb
Immediately following the explosion that dread
disease manifested itself But such mission
should certainly not be assigned to that most
beautiful of all celestial phenomena which we
call the northern aurora.
The remarkable gust, or squall, or dust spout,
as it might be called, which struck this city
on Wednesday evening last-and the most de-
plorable effect Of which was the capsizing Of
the yacht Edda, with loss of life to two young
Iadies-has also been regarded rs in some way
connected with the auroral phenomenon. Its
fury was spent in less than five minutes. In
its suddenness it was akin to the white squat,
which, in an instant and without moments
warning, strikes and engulfs many gallant
craft. During the blow, which extended to the
east, there was quite quantity of hail fell in
Salem, Mass, some Of the stones being as
large as English walnuts. We have seen one
gentleman who solemnly AYERS that at
the moment Of the gust his watch stopped,
and that some half dozen Of his acquaintance
noticed the same singular occurrence in regard
to their thermometers II this were the case ia
regard to clocks, with pendulum movements it
would indicate the shock of an earthquake;
but we confess that the simultaneous stopping
of half dozen watches passes our comprehen-
sion, and we have no resource left but in skep-
ticism Of the whole story
One Of our Mexican correspondents describes
to us the terror recently occasioned to the in
habitcnts of Guanajuato by subterranean thun-
ders hich are distinctly heard as if rolling
along beneath the crust of the earth. The
same phenomenon was remarked and described
by Baron Humboldt as occurring at the same
place just seventy-fve years ago, in 1884, when
the inhabitants fed the city in terror. We are
told that the most accepted theory Of
accounting for these noises is that they
proceed from the opening or closing
of clefts in the interior Of the earth,
by which waves of sound penetrate to us or
are impeded in their preparations. We hope
this explanation will be more Ineligible to
our readers than it is to ourselves, for we re-
gard it as being about on a par with the
description of the silkery of the skies.
A most remarkable Transparency Of the at
mosphere has always been noted as following
auroral manifestations. Our citizens cannot
fail to have noticed that result last week. tits
said that on the morning following similar
display some years since persons on the White
Mountains could see distinctly the white spires
of the Portland churches, ninety miles distant
Their effect on the magnetic needle, in causing
reflections and agitations, has been long