Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1859-09-17

TaE AURORA BoRGALiS-No subject has recently
attracted so much attention the magnificent Au-
rora Borealis which appeared in the sky during sew
cral Of the nights Of last week. This extraordinary
phenomenon was visible throughout the whole c"un-
try, and extended much further South than on for
from the accounts given Of it in the New ORLEANS
Crescent and the Mobile Tribune Of the seth ult.
seems to have been almost brilliant in those cities
IS in Philadelphia.
In many localities it excited considerable alarm
among the superstitious and ignorant. who feared
that It betokcnel some terrible event. The Rich.
mond Enquirer says than some of the negroes Of
that city, who had orders to rise at very carly
hour, noticing the brilliant appearance Of the hcav
ems rushed forth, fearing that they were late, but
hearing the clock strike two they were much aston
iShcd and the only solution they could give 10 the
mystery was that the "dcbil must he somewhere"
We hear Of many persons who wvrc enabled to read
long after the "wcc Sma hoar" hy the light Of the
aurora and the Alexandria ,~sfissl relates that
gentleman killed three birds (arks) ahout ono o'clock
on the morning Of the LIST inst, with gum mi
that one of the warblcrs was brought down on the
wing All the tcicgr,paic wires Of the country
more or less dcranscd by the subtle influence
Of the aurora but in several Of the ocrS the cxpcr
iment successfully made Of transmitting ntclli
gencc with the aid of no other electricity than that
furnished by the phenomenon itself
No definite conclusion has vet hccn arrived at nv
scientific men in rcgarl to the cause AMI exact ma
turc Of the aurora but the recent displays have bccn
unusually brilliant and extensive that Il Is to he
h ped such experiments and observations have hccn
made will greatly assist the in establish
ing rational and well settled theory Il has been
observed heretofore that the magnetic needle Is a.
fected by the polar lights under some circumstances
and that It is violently agita,cd with tendency to
direct itself toward the point where the rays iron
the horizon concentrate. II Is also we'll known that
while lights continue brilliant the air appears to he
highly charged with electricity Professor OiNSrrSp
considers that "thc ncbulous matter like that which
furnishes the material Of the mctcoric showers. or
the zodiacal light and is known to exist in the plan.
etary spaces is probably tie canss 81 the aTnr'i
Displays The light he regards a. emitted hy the
friction Of the earth plungng with It's atmosphere
| through this vapor, the velocity being sufficient.
Notwithstanding the raity Of the materials dcvcl
op this luminosity: and the magnetic phenomena
he explains by surprising with B,or and DALrox.
that the vapor Is metallic, probably fcrru.inoas
suppostion to which the stones of iron prccpi,atc,
upon the earth in the form Of nroli,cs lend some
FEASIBILITY; as also the fact that BY the intense
heat generated by the hydrooxygcn blowpipc. ,hs
metal is volatilize into vapor If extreme rarity"
The height Of the auroral arches Is variously cs
timated, but the Professor quoted above expresses
the opinion that they rarely or never fall below
elevation Of seventy miles. and do not often cxccct
one hundred and sixty milcs.-f4h Pros