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 zenith. It was much narrower at the vertex than the base, and consequently approached somewhat towards a pyramidal form. It remained a few minutes in a fixed and permanent state, after it had arrived at its greatest altitude, and was completely formed. About 11$h$ 15′ P. M. it grew fainter, and much less vivid; and there then darted from it towards the W. several whitish rays and coruscations. At 11$h$ 20′ the lucid column was barely visible, declining apparently southward, and soon after totally disappeared. I went to bed at 11$h$ 30′ P. M. when the atmosphere was covered with the same kind of luminous vapour, that before the formation of the bright Colossean pillar had appeared; and, in the Southern part of the hemisphere, diversified by undulations of shining matter, that exhibited a most beautiful and agreeable scene.

It may not be improper here to remark, that a meteor, called an Aurora Borealis, was seen at Lisbon, according to one of the public papers, the very same night. It is said to have lasted about four hours, and to have engaged the attention of the philosophers there. As from the similarity of certain circumstances it might have been denominated an Aurora Borealis, though appearing in the southern part of the heavens, as that I observed actually did; a more particular and distinct account of this phænomenon might possibly enable us to determine, with some degree of probability, whether or no it was the same with that by me here so imperfectly described. Could the identity of these meteors be clearly evinced, or indeed rendered probable, several curious corolla- ries,