_Passage in Coleridge_ (Vol. vii., p. 330.).--The paper referred to by
Coleridge will be found in the _Transactions of the Manchester Literary
and Philosophical Society_, vol. iii. p. 463. It is the "Description of
a Glory," witnessed by Dr. Haygarth on Feb. 13th, 1780, when "returning
to Chester, and ascending the mountain which forms the eastern boundary
of the Vale of Clwyd." As your correspondent asks for a copy of the
description, the volume being scarce, I will give the following extract:
"I was struck with the peculiar appearance of a very white
shining cloud, that lay remarkably close to the ground. The sun
was nearly setting, but shone extremely bright. I walked up to
the cloud, and my shadow was projected into it; when a very
unexpected and beautiful scene was presented to my view. The
head of my shadow was surrounded, at some distance, by a circle
of various colours; whose centre appeared to be near the
situation of the eye, and whose circumference extended to the
shoulders. The circle was complete, except what the shadow of my
body intercepted. It resembled, very exactly, what in pictures
is termed a _glory_, around the head of our Saviour and of
saints: not, indeed, that luminous radiance which is painted
close to the head, but an arch of concentric colours. As I
walked forward, this _glory_ approached or retired, just as the
inequality of the ground shortened or lengthened my shadow."
A plate "by the writer's friend, Mr. Falconer," accompanies the paper.
In my copy of the _Transactions_, the following MS. note is attached to
this paper:
"See Juan's and De Ulloa's _Voyage to South America_, book vi.
ch. ix., where phænomena, nearly similar, are described."