ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 417 



no two observers can he found to agree as to many important particular-!, 

 such as apparent size, period of visibility, direction, altitude, etc. 



The estimates formed of its size ai-c exceedingly discrepant some observ- 

 ers comparing it to the sun, or full moon, and others to a sky-rocket, or the 

 luminous ball projected from a "Roman candle." All a:rrcc, however, that 

 its appearance, even in full sunshine, was exceedingly bright and dazzling ; the 

 light being at the same time of a reddish color. So bright, indeed, was it at 

 Strafford, Vermont, a locality nearly one hundred miles north of the prob- 

 able point of explosion, that its distance was estimated as not exceeding a 

 half a mile from the point of observation. 



A single fragment only of this meteor is positively known to have fallen. 

 This was found in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County, X. Y., and at a 

 point about ten miles west of the city of Albany. The circumstances con- 

 nected with the phenomenon, as related by the illiterate Dutch farmer who 

 noticed it, are as follows : While standing in the enclosure adjoining his 

 house, his attention, and that of his family, were attracted by a loud sound 

 overhead, which somewhat resembled thunder; and, a few moments after, a 

 stone struck the south-east side of a wagon-house, and, bounding off, rolled 

 into the grass. A dog, lying in the doorway, started up and ran to the place 

 where the stone rested. When picked up, immediately after, it was found 

 to be quite warm, and possessed of a sulphurous odor. The fragment in 

 question was small about the size of a pigeon's egg, and irregularly shaped. 

 Xcarly three-fourths of its superficies was covered with a black, non-lustrous, 

 evidently fused crust, while the remainder presented the appearance of a 

 fresh fracture, and was of a light-gray color, and of a granular, or semi-crys- 

 talline texture. Its composition was apparently silicious, and not metallic. 

 This specimen was bought by the Regents of the State of New York, and is 

 now deposited in the State Cabinet at Albany. Other fragments arc reported 

 to have fallen in the vicinity of the Hudson; but careful inquiry has, thus 

 far, failed to discover them. 



From the above facts, it seems evident that the meteor of August llth was 

 of immense size, probably of tons weight, and that it exploded violently 

 at no great distance above the surface of the earth. 



It is an interesting subject of speculation, as to what became of the other 

 fragments ; and also of what the smoke so abundalitly developed during its 

 course was composed. Editor. 



Meteor of Nov. 15th, 1859. On the morning of Xov. loth, about nine and 

 one-half o'clock, a remarkable meteor was seen throughout South-eastern 

 XL-AV England, Southern Xew York, at numerous places in Xew Jersey, and 

 at Washington, D. C., and as far south as Fredericksburg, Va. At all these 

 places it appears to have been seen at the same instant of absolute time ; 

 and at all the stations north of Xew York the appearance was almost iden- 

 tical, and the direction of the meteor was somewhat west of south. 



In a communication to Sifli man's Journal, January I860, Prof. E. Loomis 

 gives the following summary of facts connected with the phenomenon. 



"In Xew York and vicinity, the meteor was so brilliant that, although, 

 the sun was unclouded and had an elevation of about twenty degrees above 

 the horizon, the flash attracted the attention of well-nigh every person who 

 happened at that time to be looking nearly toward that part of the heavens. 

 The apparent diameter of its head was somewhat less than that of the pun, 

 and it had an appendage like the tail of a comet, several degrees in length. 

 Its apparent path was nearly vertical, with a slight inclination towards the 



