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KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH. 98s
haul it. The wind getting round to the eaft and blowing hard, the officer of the watch
came to inform me, that he had taken in the forefail on account of its blowing hard
from the eaft to E. S. E. with avery high fea. As the wind was favourable for re-
turning to France, as I had not feen any thing of the fifhing veflels for fome days, as
the feafon for the fifhery was far advanced, and the continual fogs did not allow of my
rendering any further afliftance to the French fhips, I {teered W.S. W., forefails and
topfails fet to pafs between Iceland and the iflands of Ferro, and thence to continue my
courfe for Bret.
The firft of September, the wind eaft very frefh at noon, I took an obfervation, and
found myfelf in latitude 60° 8’, and in longitude by reckoning 15° 58’ W. of Paris,
The middle of the bank of which I fpoke in tae beginning of my journal bore W..
quarter S. W. exactly, twenty-five leagues diftant, and the ifland of Rokol at the S.,
forty-five leagues diftant : the ifland of Rokol is not marked in any French chart, but t
am certain ofits exiftence. I have requefted M. Bellin to infert it; its fituation is in
latitude 57° 50’, and longitude 16° o’ W. This ifland is very healthy ; it is a fharp rock,
which, at four leagues diftance, looks like a fhip; it has frequently been miftook for
one. Eaft of Rokol ifland, a quarter of a league away from fhore, is a rock under
water, with breakers. Under nearly the fame latitude as Rokol, but much more to
the W., is another ifland. It is Buls Ifland ; it is not either on the French charts, but
it exifts in latitude 58° 0’, longitude 28° W. On the night between the firft and the
fecond, we faw an Aurora Borealis, which afforded us the moft beautiful {peétacle that
nature can difplay. From ten in the evening until one in the morning, the heavens
were on fire throughout the arctic hemifphere, the night was as brilliant as the day; I
read a letter at midnight as eafily as Icould have done at noon. We firft of all faw a
luminous cloud in the form of an arch, which occupied half the firmament. From this
about eleven o’clock rofe columns perpendicular to the horizon, and alternately white
and red. ‘The upper part of thefe columns towards midnight changed into fheaves of
a flame colour, from the centre of which arrows of light iffued into the air like rockets ;
at length after midnight, thefe columns, which were arranged with fuch admirable fym-
metry, were confounded all at once in a brilliant chaos of cones, pyramids, radii,
fheaves, and globes of fire. ‘This celeftial appearance difappeared gradually ; but the
air was full of light even till day. }
Phenomena of this defcription have been feen in all ages and countries; but whatare
their origin? Why are they obferved towards the north? As every one is allowed to have
his own fyftem, I fhall hazard a conjecture on the probable caufe of the aurora bore-
alis, called fo from its luminoufnefs refembling that of dawn, although more com-
monly known by the name of the northern lights, on acccount of their being feen in
the north. 170, 1 imagine the matter of the aurora borealis to be the fame as that of
lightning or electricity. 2d0, That the diurnal motion of the earth occafions a continual
flux of this matter towards the poles; which makes thefe meteors moft vifible in the
neighbouring regions. 3fi0, That a certain denfity, temper, and particular conftitution
of air be requifite to caufe to approach, heap together, and comprefs the igneous particles
fo as by their fermentation to produce thofe fheaves, rockets, and luminous columns
which are peculiar to the aurora borealis, 4fo, That all the rapid movements, the lateral
divergencies, the fudden appearance of columns, &c. refult from their mutual and al-
ternate attraction and repulfion, a natural property of eleétric fire, as is proved by the
alternate attraction and repulfion of gold leaves and light bodies by ele¢trical globes.
5¢0, That if this meteor appear but rarely, it is becaufe the air poffeffes feldom the re-
quifite denfity, or is properly conftituted to produce it.
VOL. I. 5H The
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