SPECTRE OF THE BROKEN, a curious phenomenon observed on the summit of the Broken, one of the Harz mountains in Hanover. We have the following account of it by M. Haue. "After having been here (says he) for the thirtieth time, and having procured information respecting the abovementioned atmospheric phenomenon, I was at length, on the 23d of May 1797, so fortunate as to have the pleasure of seeing it; and perhaps my description may afford satisfaction to others who visit the Broken through curiosity. The sun rose about four o'clock, and, the atmosphere being quite serene towards the east, his rays could pass without any obstruction over the Heinrichshöhe. In the south-west, however, towards Achtermannshöhe, a brisk west wind carried before it thin transparent vapours, which were not yet condensed into thick heavy clouds.
"About a quarter past four I went towards the inn, and looked round to see whether the atmosphere would permit me to have a free prospect to the south-west; when I observed, at a very great distance towards Achtermannshöhe, a human figure of a monstrous size. A violent gull of wind having almost carried away my hat, I clapped my hand to it by moving my arm towards my head, and the colossal figure did the same.
"The pleasure which I felt on this discovery can hardly be described; for I had already walked many a weary step in the hopes of seeing this shadowy image, without being able to gratify my curiosity. I immediately made another movement by bending my body, and the colossal figure before me repeated it. I was desirous of doing the same thing once more—but my colossus had vanished. I remained in the same position, waiting to see whether it would return; and in a few minutes it again made its appearance on the Achtermannshöhe. I paid my respects to it a second time, and it did the same to me. I then called the landlord of the Broken; and having both taken the same position which I had taken alone, we looked towards the Achtermannshöhe, but saw nothing. We had not, however, stood long, when two such colossal figures were formed over the above eminence, which repeated our compliments by bending their bodies as we did; after which they vanished. We retained our position; kept our eyes fixed on the same spot, and in a little the two figures again stood before us, and were joined by a third. Every movement that we made by bending our bodies
lums bodies these figures imitated—but with this difference, that the phenomenon was sometimes weak and faint, sometimes strong and well defined. Having thus had an opportunity of discovering the whole secret of this phenomenon, I can give the following information to such of my readers as may be desirous of seeing it themselves. When the rising sun, and according to analogy the case will be the same at the setting sun, throws his rays over the Broken upon the body of a man standing opposite to fine light clouds floating around or hovering past him, he needs only fix his eyes stedfastly upon them, and, in all probability, he will see the singular spectacle of his own shadow extending to the length of five or six hundred feet, at the distance of about two miles before him."
If our memory does not deceive us, there is in one of the volumes of the Manchester Transactions an account of a similar phenomenon observed by Dr Ferrier, on a hill somewhere in England.