considered Geographically , Statistically, and Cosmically. 333 



that I must differ from Prof. Shepard, and I have given my facts 

 and reasons for so doing. 



It would indeed be strange should these bodies, — varying in 

 size and weight from half an ounce to 30,000 lbs., sometimes 

 containing no iron at all, and occasionally composed of nothing 

 but iron, with an oblique direction generally from east to west, 

 and a velocity of fifteen to thirty miles in a second, — be attracted 

 by particular countries more than others, or arrange themselves 

 in zones parallel to the isothermal or isodynamic lines. 



The next point I shall draw attention to, are the variations in 

 the number of falls taken in five-yearly periods, from 1795 up 

 to 1854 :— 



This gives an average of 10*9 for each of the twelve quinquen- 

 nial periods, or nearly two per annum ; more are recorded for 

 the first moiety of the sixty years than for the second, though 

 one might have expected rather a marked increase during the 

 second period, owing to the increase which has taken place during 

 the last quarter of a century in population and intelligence, as 

 well as facilities for procuring and disseminating information. 



Indeed, as but one fall is recorded for each of the years 1851, 

 1852, 1853 and 1854, and but two for each of the years 1847, 

 1848, 1849 and 1850, while some years present us with three, 

 four and even five instances of falls, one is almost led to imagine 

 a temporary if not absolute falling off in the frequency of these 

 phsenomena ; whether this may be owing to accident and chance, 

 or to the existence of some unknown cause or cycle, we must, 

 from want of more data, at present remain ignorant. 



The following table, presenting an analysis of the total num- 

 ber of known falls I have been enabled to collect or hear of, 

 arranged according to the falls for each month, from the year 

 A.D. 1500 to 1854, shows some novel if not indeed important 

 results. 



