position among, and her superiority over, the-surrounding luminaries. Sept. 1st {Dark part.... Illuminated part = 3.07284 ..... 8.92716 Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. None of these eclipses are visible this month, though there will be twenty-five of the first and second satellites. Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars. Sept. 5th, with Venus at 3 in the afternoon 13th Jupiter.. 6 .... 19th Bin Capricorn 3 .... Other Phenomena. Mercury will be in his superior conjunction at a quarter past 3 in the afternoon of the 6th of this month. As the autumn draws on, the Aurora Borealis often illumines the still evenings, and forms a magnificent spectacle in the northern regions of Europe. The following is a description of one of these evenings, extracted from A Winter in Lapland.' 'As soon as evening set in, a thousand dancing lights would now play mysteriously through the sky, as if intended by Providence to cheer the hours of darkness by their mild and beautiful coruscations. Sometimes the Aurora would form a splendid arch across the heavens, of pale lambent flame, running with inconceivable velocity, and resembling the spiral motions of a serpent, which the eye could clearly distinguish. Then it would suddenly disappear, and the veil of night be once more diffused around; when, as quick as the flash of a star, the immense ethereal space would be overspread with fire, assuming quite a different form, and covering the heavens with sheets of thin silvery light, wafted quickly along, like thin strata of cloud before the wind. Sometimes narrow streaks of flame would shoot with inconceivable velocity, traversing in a few seconds the immense concave of the heavens, and disappearing beneath the south-eastern horizon. Occasionally a broad mass of light would suddenly be seen in the zenith, which would descend towards the earth in the form of a beautiful continuous radiated circle, and in an instant vanish. "The northern lights are more frequent when the weather is calm; yet I have never seen them more vivid than on one occasion, when there was a brisk wind from the south-east, which, though it directly met the aurora, that was running with great swiftness from the opposite quarter, did not appear in any way to affect its motions, these continuing in a narrow steady stream of light. The altitude of the aurora on this particular occasion seemed trifling in appearance, certainly not exceeding a quarter of a mile; the light it afforded, at the same time, being very considerable, and clearly illuminating surrounding objects. I invariably observed that the aurora proceeded, in the first instance, from the north-west, and it generally disappeared in the south-east. During the opportunities I had of observing it while at Hammerfest, it constantly rose from the northern extremity of the island of Söroe, to which part of the horizon I was accustomed to direct my attention when I watched its appearance. This was generally that of faint irregular gleams of light rising aloft be-hind the mountains, and at first frequently exhibiting an exact resemblance of the reflection of a distant fire. They generally mounted up toward the zenith, rarely keeping low in the horizon, and afterwards assuming an inconceivable variety of forms and diversity of motion, of which it is too difficult for an inanimate description to convey an idea.' The Aurora Borealis is a phenomenon seldom seen in this part of Great Britain, though frequently making its appearance in the northern districts of the island. The vicinity of London, however, was lately visited by a remarkably brilliant display of this kind, of the following description is from the Literary Gazette for September 29th, and is given by two gentlemen who witnessed it; viz. Mr. Adams, of Edmonton, and Mr. J. T. B., of Deptford.-Mr. Adams says, An Aurora Borealis, as remarkable, perhaps, as any that has been seen in this country, was observed on Tuesday night last, the 25th instant. It first appeared about eight in the evening, with a dense cloud, as a strong white light, much resembling the approach of sun-rise, in a direction nearly due N.; the light became still more intense by ten, and so continued till a short time after eleven, when a considerable number of dark clouds collected towards the N. and N.W., and several streaks of a pale white light were seen proceeding from the clouds, and reaching nearly to the zenith. But the most singular part of the phenomenon was exhibited in a N.N.E. direction, where, at about 30° above the horizon, was a small dense cloud, above which was a broad streak, curved, and about 10° in length, varying in colour from a deep copper hue to a red; from this the coruscations were incessant, and remarkably bright, darting frequently to the zenith, where they were crossed by others equally bright and numerous, proceeding from the W. towards the E. These appearances continued till after midnight.' Mr. B., in describing the same appearance, ob serves, Tuesday evening, 11 hrs. 15' this mysterious phenomenon was witnessed with unusual splendour from the west and north to the north-east, converging towards the zenith, and coruscating with great velocity. In the north, the light was principally of a phosphorescent violet tinge, but so luminous that a common-sized print was read with ease: through this part of the heavens Ursa Major was shining with feeble brightness. The western part of the hemisphere near Aquila was glowing intensely with streams of red, which gradually subsided, and appeared transferred to the north-east, where it continued one broad red banner for some considerable time. Through this was seen Saturn, Gemini, and Capella. On directing the attention to the zenith, streams of yellowish light ascending from the horizon were incessantly in motion. 11 hrs. 45', the Aurora Borealis was unabated, though less terrific in its appearance, and ascended principally from the east and west, meeting from 10° to 20 south of the zenith, in Andromeda: distant objects were very distinctly visible by its light. At midnight the coruscations were undiminished, with fewer of the red rays. Some of the flashes remained permanent for some time, and very much resembled the tail of a comet. Three meteoric stars were seen in the north-east and east. Soon after midnight this interesting phenomenon had considerably abated. The two red beams of light seen in the easterly and westerly direction were diametrically opposite, and 90° distant from the bright violet light (by far the most luminous, though comparatively quiescent), which was to the west of the north, and therefore could not be far from the magnetic meridian, which would be crossed at right angles by a line joining the places of the red beams: the southern edges of these were accurately defined, not blending with the adjacent azure, but most distinct from it, and perpendicular to the horizon. Over the whole of the horizon, below the streaming lights, were dark heavy clouds, from three to five degrees in height. The Naturalist's Diary For SEPTEMBER 1828. 'Tis now the mellow season of the year, T. HOOD. SUMMER has now retired from our northern re gions, and the gay and beautiful flowers disappear for a season. Rural scenery, however, is much enlivened by the variety of colours assumed, towards the end of the month, by the fading leaves of trees and shrubs. Forests now claim the attention of the admirer of Nature's beauties, and will amply repay us for many a walk amid their picturesque windings and superb avenues. Look how the wood-walks hither tend, Beneath this monarch oak, through whose thick boughs And the small clouds! And how this tiny spring MISS MITFORD. Forests and groves (like Rome) are not made in a day;-let the great land-owner pause before he consigns to the axe the growth of centuries: many a stately avenue, and many a noble forest has been sacrificed to supply the profusion of a spendthrift heir! I can remember, when for miles around, In place of these smooth meadows and corn-fields, Or the lark's nest; and overhead, the dove |