The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-06-22

THE AURORA A SIGN OF STORM From
the -Nether-Lochaber Correspondence of
the Inverness Courier. IA meteorological
fact worth chronicling is that every storm
OF aIfv violence that has occurred within the
last seven months has, in every instance
without exception, been heralded by an
auroral display of more or less brilliancy,
the storm generally proving violent in pro-
portion to the universally and brilliaDcy of
the auroral light. On referring to our me-
neurological n0tobiha we find that the storm
aud aurora were generally separated by all
interval of from ten to fifteen hours, four
and twenty hours elapSing only III two in
stances, and in these cases the storm. even
if severe, was but of'short continuance, as
If its force had been well-nigh expended
and its energies exhausted ere it reached
us. SO marked, indeed, and constant was
the connection thus observable between the
aurora and storms toward the end OF last
autumn, and throughout the winter and
spring months, that it perforce fastened it.
self on the attention of the most careless
and ur1obseryant of such phenomena, so
that it became quitea common thing latter
"We shall have storm soon; the merry
dancers were very blight last night"
We had occasion to De riding homcwards
at late hour on the night Of the I'd inst,
under clear starlit sky, when toward mid
night the north and northwestern heavens
suddenly hared up with bright aurora
light, which spread out in broad sheets,
through which wave after wave, fasC and
furious as the tluttering of banner in d
gale Of wind, flashed and 1ickered with as
tonishing rapidity, and Uis giUa that
seemed thoroughly to pcrmeate its every
particle, and to excite them into the live.
lest possible action. 1t continued thus for
upward of an hour, when it suddenly re-
solved itself into pale:-green HUSH on tne
face Of the heavens aud soon alter nnauy
disappeared. Next morning was one OF
bright sunshine, with gentle breeze from
Ihe south; and you would have said that
any one remarking that it was tine day,
and likely to continue so, could hardly be
mistaken. Remembering the previous
night, however, we observed to ploWman
on his way with his horses aield,
that he would probably have to unyoke
before the usual hour in the evening,
for that storm of wind and rain was I'M
minent, for all so fine a morning as it
seemed. Rusticus swept his eyes over the
heavens, marked its bright, unclouded clr-
cumference, and looked at us with aston
ishnlent, SO Impressed was he with the un-
likelihoodness Of our prediction being Veri-
fed on this occasion; at all events, though,
as rule, he professed no small faith at the
value Of our meteorological yaticination.
Verified, however, it was, and to the letter,
for before the dinner hour came round one
of the seyerest gales OF the season suddenly,
sprang up from the south, with deluges of
cold; sleety rain, that in less than an hours
time filled the rivers to .oYerfloWing, and
sent! each mountain rivulet q red and roar
ofEour own West Highlands only, when we
affirm that it may be taken as rule, which
an occasional exception will only tend to
establish the more firmly, that bright au-
roraI display is always aud invariably fol-
lowed by whole gale of wind and heavy
rainfall.