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Whitehaven Gazette - Oct. 18, 1819

Short Articles.

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       That striking celestial phenomenon, a lunar rainbow was observed at
Manchester, on Sunday night, a little after seven o'clock. It formed a perfect
arch, and continued luminous for seven minutes, when it instantly disappeared,
though there was no perceptible change in the light of the moon.

       The last lunar rainbow we observed, which was about the 6th September,
1814, was much broader and brighter than the present.

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CLIMATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

       In this remote part of the earth, nature (having made horses, oxen,
ducks, geese, oaks, elms, and all regular and useful productions, for the rest
of the world) seems determined to have a bit of play, and to amuse herself as
she pleases.

       Accordingly she makes cherries with the stone on the outside; and a
monsterous animal as tall as a grenadier, with the head of a rabbit, a tail as
big as a bed post, hopping at the rate of five hops to a mile, with three or
four young kangaroos looking out of it's false uterus to see what is passing.

       The comes a quadruped as big as a large cat, with the eyes, colour and
skin of a mole, and the bill and, web feet of a duck; puzzling Dr. SHAW, and
rendering the latter half of his life miserable, from his utter inability to
determine whether it was a bird or beast. Add to this a parrot, with the legs
of a seagull; a skate, with the head of a shark; and a bird of such monsterous
dimensions that a side bone of it will dine three real carnivorous Englishmen;
together with many other productions that agitate Sir Joseph, and fill him
with mingled emotions of distress and delight.. - Edinburgh  Review.

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