prevalent Disorders, Sfc, with Volcanic Emanations. 421 



America and in England, on the same night, whilst there is no 

 direct evidence to show that any others also appeared ; and it is 

 surely more rational to conclude that ail were electrical, rather 

 than to assume the existence of a cometic body upon testi- 

 mony which contradicts the conditions assigned to that body. 

 The evidence of Mr. Bache respecting the meteors at Phila- 

 delphia is infinitely more strong against Professor Olmsted's 

 theory than any thing I have advanced. But the zodiacal 

 light is made to play a conspicuous part in these phenomena; 

 and I can only suppose, from the way it has been introduced, 

 that it is intended to be understood that that light is the tail 

 of the supposed comet, and therefore that the meteors are to 

 be considered as celestial coprolites ; for the zodiacal light is 

 said to have " extended from the horizon and terminated near 

 the radiant" (Olmsted, A. J., xxvii. 419.) whence the meteors 

 issued. 



Respecting the radiant itself, it does not appear that it is a 

 fixed point, after all, either from the present notices in the 

 American Journal, or from the former ones. But, if it be 

 constant, will any of the Transatlantic professors take upon 

 themselves to assert that the radiant is very far distant from 

 the magnetic point (see M. N. H. 9 vii. 291.); or that, in 

 displays of the aurora, the same point is not the focus of 

 convergence of the pyramidal beams of light ? During the dis- 

 play of the aurora, figured in my last paper, as seen from 

 this place (VIII. 144.), I observed that at times the beams 

 of the aurora converged to the very point in dispute, exhibit- 

 ing at those times, at the point of convergence, the appearance 

 of a thin cloud or film of vapoury light, not till then apparent, 

 and vanishing with the brilliance of the beams. Moreover, I 

 would ask the observers to satisfy themselves upon two queries: 

 1st, Whether in all displays of electric meteors, at any time 

 of the year, whenever they are numerous, there is not always 

 an apparent radiating point of similar character with that in 

 dispute? and, 2dly, Whether they are quite certain that they 

 have never mistaken an auroral * for a zodiacal light? (See 

 M. N. H., vii. 84.) I throw out these hints, not upon mere 

 trifling conjecture, but from a conviction arising from observa- 

 tion, that the doctrines of electricity will solve many of the 

 phenomena which these meteors have presented, and nothing 

 else so well as electricity. 



Having thus considered the difficulties which are presented 

 by the hypothesis of Professor Olmsted, to account for this 



* This is a bold query, as Sir J. Herschel says it is impossible to make 

 this mistake. (Astronomy, § 626.) 



• 68 



