CHAP. LV.

SHOWERS OF SHOOTING OR FALLING STARS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SEEN AT BOSTON, AND IN OTHER PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA, ON THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH OF NOVEMBER, 1833. OTHER EXAMPLES OF THE SAME OR SOMEWHAT SIMILAR PHENOMENA, IN THE SAME AND IN OTHER PLACES, YEARS, AND MONTHS.

FOR three or four years, news has reached us from the United States of North America, that in a large part of the country, in the middle of the month of November in each year, and generally upon the same day of the month, (that is, upon the night of the thirteenth, or morning of the fourteenth day,) whole showers of shooting-stars, illuminating all the atmosphere, have been seen during the entire night and longer.

As to their numbers, as reported to have been observed at Boston, in November, 1833, they are said to have succeeded each other so instantaneously that it was impossible to count

them; and the most moderate estimate calls them hundreds of thousands. They were so numerous, and showed themselves in so many quarters of the heaven at the same time, that the attempts to reckon them were only the roughest guesses. At the Observatory, their number was considered equal to one half of the flakes of snow which fill the air during an ordinary fall. When their numbers were diminishing, six hundred and fifty were counted in fifteen minutes, in a part of the heaven which did not comprise a tenth part of that visible horizon which was filled with them; and these stars did not amount to more than two-thirds of the whole number seen, which was at least eight hundred and sixty-six ; giving, for the whole hemisphere, eight thousand six hundred and sixty. But the display was incessant for seven hours; and this number, taken when the numbers were moderated, but multiplied by four, gives thirty-six thousand six hundred and forty per hour, or per sixty minutes;

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or two hundred and forty thousand for the whole seen at one particular point of observation!

The phenomenon presented itself along the whole eastern coast of North America, from the Gulf of Mexico at least as high as Nova Scotia: from nine o'clock in the evening till sunrise; and, in some places, in full daylight, till eight o'clock in the morning.

Over a still larger surface, both in America and Europe, these thousands of shooting-stars, with larger bodies among them, were seen in November 1799, the first date at which they are thought to have been recently mentioned; but not again till November 1831, or after an interval of thirty-two years.

CHAP. LVI.

SHOOTING OR FALLING STARS OBSERVED BY SIR JOHN HERSCHEL, AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, ON THE MORNING OF THE FOURTEENTH OF NOVEMBER, 1835.

As a consequence of the American statements, our eminent astronomer, Mr. Baily, lately requested Sir John Herschel, who is at the Cape of Good Hope upon astronomical researches, to take notice whether any thing extraordinary appeared in the southern heaven, in that part of the globe, on or about the anniversary of the night in question.

Now Sir John looked out accordingly, on the nights of the 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, and 18th of November, 1835; and nothing remarkable was to be seen upon the three first of those nights, nor upon the fifth; but at four o'clock in the morning of the 14th of November, the date assigned in North America, Mr. Stone (Sir

John's assistant) suddenly exclaimed, "There goes the largest I ever saw;" and then described that he had seen a momentary shining body, which, in the telescope, had seemed no smaller than the planet Jupiter.

Half an hour after, Mr. Stone again exclaimed, "There goes another great one;" and, just before five o'clock, "I absolutely started from the eye-piece of the telescope," says Sir John himself, "at the glare of a superb one!" "Stone thought it lightened, though his back was to it, and it was hid from him by trees. It left a narrow, vivid, and distinctly crooked train, which lasted twenty seconds, and admitted of being steadily contemplated. This meteor was equal to Venus, [even] at her brightest here!"

Sir John Herschel concludes his account with a remark, that the actual appearance of these luminous bodies in the month, and on the day, when he had been taught to look for them, was a coincidence which, though remarkable, he was