committee appointed by the German Government. He further points out,
according to Professor Wykander, of Lund, in Sweden, that a close
connection exists between earth currents, the protuberances of the
sun, and the aurora borealis, and that the nearly regular periodical
reappearance of protuberances in intervals of eleven years coincides
with similar periods of excessive magnetic earth currents and the
appearance of the aurora borealis. The remarkable disturbing influences
on telegraph wires and cables of the aurora borealis observed from the
11th to 14th of August, 1880, have been carefully recorded by Herr Geh.
Postnath Ludwig in Berlin, and a map of Europe compiled, showing the
places affected, with the extent to which telegraph wires and cables
were influenced and disturbed. Although the aurora was but faintly
visible in England and Germany, and in Russia only as far as 35 deg. north,
disturbing influences were reported from all parts of Europe, the
Mediterranean, and Africa, and even Japan and the east coast of Asia.
As far south as Zanzibar, Mozambique, and Natal disturbances were also
noticed. They were in Europe most intense on the morning of August 12,
when they lasted the whole day, and increased again in intensity toward
eight o'clock in the evening, while they suddenly ceased everywhere
almost simultaneously. Scientific and careful observations were only
taken at a few places, but the existence of earth currents in frequently
changing direction and varying intensity, was noticed everywhere. Long
lines of wires were more affected than short ones, and although some
lines--for instance the Berlin-Hamburg in an east-west direction--were
not at all influenced, no general law was noticed according to which
certain directions were freed from the disturbing influence. While, for
instance, the Red Sea cable was not noticeably affected, the land
line to Bombay, forming a continuation of this cable, was materially
disturbed. The Marseilles-Algiers cable, so seriously influenced in
1871, showed no signs at all, but as may be expected, the north of