422 Supposed Connection of Meteoric Phenomena, 



periodical occurrence of meteors in November, I again venture 

 to appeal to the volcanic theory for a solution ; and, fortunately 

 enough, another most striking coincidence occurs, to strengthen 

 what has been advanced in my former papers. 



Advices were recently received at Petersburg, from the 

 Fort of Tsourou Kaitou, in the south-eastern frontiers of 

 China, near the junction of the Amour and Argonna rivers, 

 stating that, on Nov. 12. 1834, at 2 p. M. the air was suddenly 

 darkened above the mountains, and so continued till the whole 

 landscape was hid. On Nov. 13. there was only a dim light; 

 the air appeared filled with smoke, without smell ; about 4 

 p. M. a n.e. wind (i. e. a wind from the Polar Sea) arose, 

 which gradually increased, clearing the air about midnight ; 

 there appeared afterwards upon the shore, and on the ice of 

 the river Argonna, a brown dust, without smell, having a salt 

 taste ; it covered also the trees and the grass, and could be 

 shaken off. The oldest inhabitant remembered nothing of 

 the kind before. (M. N. H., March, 1835.) Now, there is 

 little doubt as to the origin of this phenomenon. Some tre- 

 mendous volcanic eruption had taken place, and this deposit 

 was the ashes and sand carried to a distance by the wind. 

 The nearest known volcano * to the locality in question is in 

 Kamtschatka or Japan, and it is probable that the dust in 

 question indicates a most violent terrestrial convulsion in one 

 of those countries. Now, the latitude of these localities agrees 

 very well with that in which the meteors were most conspi- 

 cuous on Nov. 12 — 13., and I shall, therefore, presume to 

 consider, according to the principles hitherto developed, that 

 this eruption is an index of the true ratio?iale of the meteors.f 

 The distance of these localities (say 1600 or 1700 miles) is 

 nothing in objection to the supposition, because we have already 

 seen how extensive are contemporaneous terrestrial and at- 

 mospherical derangements, and how generally the air is im- 

 pregnated with electrical and combustible matter by agents 

 continually at work. (See VII. 306.) 



In Mr. Twining' s former papers on the meteors of 1833 

 (see M. N. H., vii. 613.), he argued against the terrestrial 

 origin of those phenomena, because they did not conform to 

 geodesic lines. I have attempted to show [VII. 613.] that 

 this was not an argument against their terrestrial origin ; but 



* Earthquakes occur yearly near Lake Baikal, to the west ; but there is 

 no known volcano in that vicinity. 



f It may be added here, that a most dreadful storm occurred off the 

 coast, and in the interior of Ceylon, in the last days of November, doing 

 great mischief. One river rose 42 ft. or 43 ft. above its usual level. ( Asia- 

 tic Journal, May, 1835.) . a 



