peared. On vanishing, their faces, hands, and elothes, with the earth, and all the neighbouring objects, became suddenly illuminated with a diffused and lambent light. It was attended with no noise. During their surprise at this appearance, a servant informed them, that he had seen a light shine suddenly in the garden, and especially upon the streams which he was throwing to water it.

(The Signior also observed a quantity of electric matter collect about his kite, which had very much the appearance of a falling star. Sometimes he saw a kind of halo accompanying the kite, as it changed its place, leaving some glimmering of light in the place it had quitted.

Shooting stars have been supposed by those meteorologists who refer them to electricity or luminous gas, to prognosticate changes in the weather, such as rain, wind, &c.; and there is, perhaps, some truth in this opinion. The duration of the brilliant tract which they leave behind them, in their motion through the air, will probably be found to be longer or shorter, according as watery vapour abounds in the atmosphere.

The notion that this phenomenon betokens high winds, is of great antiquity Virgil, in the first book of his Georgics, expresses the same idea:

"Sæpe etiam stellas vento impendente videbis
Præcipites cœlo labi; noctisque per umbram
Flammarum longos a tergo albescere tractus.
And oft, before tempestuous winds arise,
The seeming stars fall headlong from the skies,
And shooting through the darkness, gild the night
With sweeping glories and long trails of light."

The number of shooting stars, observed in a single night, though variable, is commonly very small. There are, however, several instances on record of their falling in "showers" -when every star in the firmament seems loosened from its sphere, and moving in lawless flight from one end of the heavens to the other. As early as the year 472, in the month of November, a phenomenon of this kind took place near Constantinople. As Theophanes relates, "The sky appeared to be on fire," with the corruscations of the flying meteors.

A shower of stars, exactly similar took place in Canada, between the 3d and 4th of July, 1814, and another at Montreal, in November, 1819. In all these cases, a residuum, or black dust, was deposited upon the surface of the waters, and upon the roofs of buildings, and other objects. In the year 1810, inflamed substances," it is said, fell into and around lake Van, in Armenia, which stained the water of a blood colour, and cleft the earth in various places. On the 5th of

What was the appearance upon streams of water? What did he observe at this time about his kite? What connexion are they supposed to have with meteorology? What circunstance may we probably find to confirm this idea? Is this notion of very ancient, or of modern date? What is, usually, the number of shooting stars observed in a single night? When, and where, occurred the first instance, on record, of their falling in great numbers? Mention some other instances. What remarkable vestige was left by these meteoric showers?

September, 1819, a like phenomenon was seen in Moravia. History furnishes many more instances of meteoric showers, depositing a red dust, in soine places, so plentiful as to admit of chymical analysis.)

The commissioner, (Mr. Andrew Ellicott,) who was sent out by our government to fix the boundary between the Spanish possessions in North America and the United States, witnessed a very extraordinary flight of shooting stars, which filled the whole atmosphere from Cape Florida to the West India Islands. This grand phenomenon took place the 12th of November, 1799, and is thus described:-"I was called up," says Mr. Ellicott, "about 3 o'clock in the morning, to see the shooting stars, as they are called. The phenomenon was grand and awful. The whole heavens appeared as if illuminated with skyrockets, which disappeared only by the light of the sun, after daybreak. The meteors, which at any one instant of time, appeared as numerous as the stars, flew in all possible directions except from the earth, towards which they all inclined more or less, and some of them descended perpendicularly over the vessel we were in, so that I was in constant expectation of their falling on us.'

Mr. Ellicott further states that his thermometer which had been at 80° Fahr. for the four days preceding, fell to 56° about 4 o'clock, A. M., and that nearly at the same time, the wind changed from the south to the northwest, from whence it blew with great violence for three days without intermission.

These same appearances were observed, the same night, at Santa Fe de Bogota, Cumana, Quito, and Peru, in South America; and as far north as Labrador and Greenland, extending to Weimar in Germany, being thus visible over an extent on the globe of 64° of latitude, and 94° of longitude.

The celebrated Humboldt, accompanied by M. Bompland, then in S. America, thus speaks of the phenomenon:-Towards the morning of the 13th of November, 1799, we witnessed a most extraordinary scene of shooting meteors. Thousands of bolides, and falling stars succeeded each other during four hours. Their direction was very regular from north to south. From the beginning of the phenomenon there was not a space in the firmament, equal in extent to three diameters of the moon, which was not filled, every instant, with bolides or falling stars. All the meteors left luminous traces, or phosphorescent bands behind them, which lasted seven or eight seconds."

This phenomenon was witnessed by the Capuchin missionary at San Fernando de Afiura, a village situated in lat. 7° 53' 12'', amidst the savannahs of the province of Varinas; by the Franciscan monks stationed near the cataracts of the Oronoco, and at Marca, on the banks of the Rio Negro, lat. 2° 40' long. 70 21', and in the west of Brazil, as far as the equator itself; and also at the city of Porto Cabello, lat. 10° 6' 52', in French Guiana, Popayan, Quito, and Peru. It is somewhat surprising that the same appearances, observed in places so widely separated, amid the vast and lonely deserts of South America, should have been seen, the same night, in the United States, in Labrador, in Greenland, and at Itterstadt, near Weimar, in Germany!

Recite instances of a similar kind, in which a red dust has been deposited. Describe the phenomenon of shooting stars described by Mr. Ellicott, in 1799. Describe the same phenomenon as seen, in South America, by Humboldt and others. In what other parts of the earth, was it witnessed, and by whom?

We are told that thirty years before, at the city of Quito, There was seen in one part of the sky, above the volcano of Cayamburo, so great a number of falling stars, that the mountain was thought to be in flames. This singular sight lasted more than an hour. The people assembled in the plain of Exida, where a magnificent view presents itself of the highest summits of the Cordilleras. A procession was already on the point of setting out from the convent of St. Francis, when it was perceived that the blaze on the horizon was caused by fiery meteors, which ran along the sky in all directions, at the altitude of 12 or 13 degrees."

But the most sublime phenomenon of shooting stars, of which the world has furnished any record, was witnessed throughout the United States on the morning of the 13th of November, 1833.

The entire extent of this astonishing exhibition has not been precisely ascertained, but it covered no inconsiderable portion of the earth's surface. It has been traced from the longitude of 61°, in the Atlantic ocean, to longitude 100° in Central Mexico, and from the North American lakes to the West Indies.

It was not seen, however, any where in Europe, nor in South America, nor in any part of the Pacific ocean yet heard from.

Every where, within the limits abovementioned, the first appearance was that of fireworks of the most imposing grandeur, covering the entire vault of heaven with myriads of fireballs, resembling skyrockets. Their corruscations were bright, gleaming and incessant, and they fell thick as the flakes in the early snows of December. To the splendours of this celestial exhibition, the most brilliant skyrockets and fireworks of art, bear less relation than the twinkling of the most tiny star, to the broad glare of the sun. The whole heavens seemed in motion, and suggested to some the awful grandeur of the image employed in the apocalypse, upon the opening of the sixth seal, when "the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind."

One of the most remarkable circumstances attending this display was, that the meteors all seemed to emanate from one and the same point, a little southeast of the zenith. Following the arch of the sky, they ran along with immense velocity,

Describe another phenomenon of a similar kind, seen in South America about thirty years before. When occurred the most sublime phenomenon of shooting stars of which the world has any record? How extensively was it witnessed? What was the first appearance of the phenomenon? What scene in the apocalypse, did it sug gest to some? From what point did the meteors appear to emanate? Describe their

motion.

describing in some instances, an arc of 30° or 40° in a few seconds.

On more attentive inspection it was seen, that the meteors exhibited three distinct varieties; the first, consisting of phosphoric lines, apparently described by a point; the second, of large fireballs, that at intervals darted along the sky, leaving luminous trains, which occasionally remained in view for a number of minutes, and, in some cases, for half an hour or more; the third, of undefined luminous bodies, which remained nearly stationary in the heavens for a long time.

Those of the first variety were the most numerous, and resembled a shower of fiery snow driven with inconceivable velocity to the north of west. The second kind appeared more like falling stars-a spectacle which was contemplated by the more unenlightened beholders with great amazement and terrour. The trains which they left, were commonly white, but sometimes were tinged with various prismatic colours, of great beauty.

These fireballs were occasionally of enormous size. Dr. Smith, of North Carolina, describes one which appeared larger than the full moon rising.* "I was," says he, 66 startled by the splendid light in which the surrounding scene was exhibited, rendering even small objects quite visible." The same ball, or a similar one, seen at New Haven, passed off in a northwest direction, and exploded a little northward of the star Capella, leaving, just behind the place of explosion, a train of peculiar beauty. The line of direction was at first nearly straight; but it soon began to contract in length, to dilate in breadth, and to assume the figure of a serpent SCROLLING itself up, until it appeared like a luminous cloud of vapour, floating gracefully in the air, where it remained in full view for several minutes.

Of the third variety of meteors, the following are remarkable examples:-At Poland, Ohio, a luminous body was distinctly visible in the northeast for more than an hour. It was very brilliant, in the form of a pruning-hook, and apparently twenty feet long, and eighteen inches broad. It gradually

*If this body were at the distance of 110 miles, from the observer, it must have had a diameter of one mile; if at the distance of 11 miles, its diameter was 528 feet; and if only one mile off, it must have been 48 feet in diameter. These considerations leave no doubt, that many of the meteors were bodies of large size.

What other appearances were observed, upon more attentive inspection? Give a more particular account of the first variety. Of the second. What do we know in regard to the size of these fireballs? How does Dr. Smith describe one seen by him in North Carolina? What was the appearance of the same or a similar ball, as seen at New Haven? What was there peculiar in the course, and final disappearance of it? Suppose this meteor was 110 miles distant from the place of observation, what must have been its diameter? What, if it were 11 miles distant? What, if only one mile? Mention some examples of the third variety of meteors

settled towards the horizon, until it disappeared. At Niagara Falls, a large, luminous body, shaped like a square table, was seen near the zenith, remaining for some time almost stationary, emitting large streams of light.

The point from which the meteors seemed to emanate, was observed by those who fixed its position among the stars, to be in the constellation Leo; and, according to their concurrent testimony, this RADIANT POINT was stationary among the stars, during the whole period of observation; that is, it did not move along with the earth, in its diurnal revolution eastward, but accompanied the stars in their apparent progress westward.

A remarkable change of weather from warm to cold, accompanied the meteoric shower, or immediately followed it. In all parts of the United States, this change was remarkable for its suddenness and intensity. In many places, the day preceding had been unusually warm for the season, but, before the next morning, a severe frost ensued, unparalleled, for the time of year.

In attempting to explain these mysterious phenomena, it is argued, in the first place, that the meteors had their origin beyond the limits of our atmosphere; that they of course did not belong to this earth, but to the regions of space exterior to it

The reason on which this conclusion is founded is this:All bodies near the earth, including the atmosphere itself, have a common motion with the earth around its axis from west to east; but the radiant point, that indicated the source from which the meteors emanated, followed the course of the stars from east to west; therefore, it was independent of the earth's rotation, and consequently, at a great distance from it, and beyond the limits of the atmosphere. The height of the meteoric cloud, or radiant point, above the earth's surface was, according to the mean average of Professor Olmsted's observations, not less than 2238 miles.}

That the meteors were constituted of very light, combustible materials, seems to be evident, from their exhibiting the actual phenomena of combustion, they being consumed, or converted into smoke, with intense light; and the extreme tenuity of the substance composing them is inferred from the fact that they were stopped by the resistance of the air. Had their quantity of matter been considerable, with so prodigious a velocity, they would have had sufficient momentum to dash them upon the earth; where the most disastrous consequences might have followed.

In what constellation was the point from which the meteors seemed to radiate? What changes were observed in the weather during or soon after this phenomenon? In attempting to account for these phenomena, what hypothesis has been advanced in regard to the place where the meteors had their origin? What is the reasoning by which this hypothesis is sustained? How high was the meteoric cloud supposed to be above the earth? What do we know in regard to the substance of which the meteors were composed? What might have been the consequences, if their quantity of matter had been considerable?