“In the south-eastern districts of Siberia, according to the description of Gmelin, cited and translated by Dr. Blagden (Phil. Trans. vol. lxxiv. p. 228), the Aurora is described to begin with single bright pillars, rising in the north, and almost at the same time in the north-east, which, gradually increasing, comprehend a large space of the heavens, rush about from place to place with incredible velocity, and finally almost cover the whole sky up to the zenith, and produce an appearance as if a vast tent were expanded in the heavens, glittering with gold, rubies, and sapphires. A more beautiful spectacle cannot be painted; but whoever should see such a northern light for the first time could not behold it without terror.” [Sidenote: Maupertius’s description at Oswer-Zornea.] Maupertius describes a remarkable Aurora he saw at Oswer-Zornea on the 18th December, 1876. An extensive region of the heavens towards the south appeared tinged of so lively a red that the whole constellation of Orion seemed as if dyed in blood. The light was for some time fixed, but soon became movable, and, after having successively assumed all the tints of violet and blue, it formed a dome of which the summit nearly approached the zenith in the south-west. [Sidenote: Red Auroræ rare in Lapland.] Maupertius adds that he observed only two of the red northern lights in Lapland, and that they are of very rare occurrence in that country. The observations of Carl Bock, the Norwegian naturalist, kindly communicated by him to me, and detailed in Chapter III., quite confirm this observation of Maupertius as to the rare occurrence of red Auroræ in Lapland, he having only seen one. [Illustration: Plate I.] CHAPTER III. SOME SPECIFIC DESCRIPTIONS OF AURORÆ, INCLUDING RESULTS OF THE ENGLISH ARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1875-76. _Captain Sabine’s Auroræ._ [Sidenote: Captain Sabine’s Auroræ.] Captain Sabine describes Auroræ seen at Melville Island (Parry’s first voyage, January 15). Towards the southern horizon an ordinary Aurora appeared. The luminous arch broke into masses streaming in different directions, always to the east of the zenith. [Sidenote: Curvature of arches towards each other.] The various masses seemed to arrange themselves in two arches, one passing near the zenith and a second midway between the zenith and the horizon, both north and south, but curving towards each other. At one time a part of the arch near the zenith was bent into convolutions like a snake in motion and undulating rapidly. _Aurora seen at Sunderland, February 8th, 1817._ (‘Annals of Philosophy,’ vol. ix. p. 250.) [Sidenote: Aurora seen at Sunderland, Feb. 8, 1817. Formation of corona.]