150 Discovery of the Great Lake *' NgamV of South Africa, 



about ten in the evening, I was in the Transit-room, engaged in ob- 

 serving the passage of a star, when a blaze of intensely vivid light 

 was observed a little to the West of North, about the height of the 

 Equator, and which continued for perhaps a couple of seconds. 



" While registering the observation, a loud report was heard 

 nearly in the same direction, resembling that of a piece of heavy 

 ordnance at the distance of two or three miles. The interval be- 

 tween the flash and the report reaching me, must have been between 

 the limits of 2™ 40^ and 2^^ 45^, from the circumstance of my 

 having observed the light just before the star [g Celt) had come to 

 the second wire* of the instrument, which, on referring to the tran- 

 sit-book, would have taken place at 23** 57™ 47^*6 nearly, and there- 

 fore the occurrence of the phenomenon may be safely referred to 23^ 

 67"^ 45^ ; and as, on hearing the report, I immediately consulted 

 the Sidereal clock, which indicated 0^ 6™ 30^, I think that the error 

 in assuming the elapsed time as above cannot be supposed to amount 

 to five seconds. 



'* There was little peculiar in the state of the weather or atmo- 

 sphere ; the day had been rather more than usually cool, the highest 

 temperature being 68° Fahrenheit, the wind from the south, and 

 moderate, with slight passing showers. The evening was nearly 

 clear, with a light air from the south-west, atmosphere rather dry ; 

 the barometer standing at 30'^^ '20, and the thermometer at 52°, and 

 both were observed to rise suddenly after the explosion, the barometer 

 by O^'^-Ol, and the thermometer by 0^-1, though they regained their 

 original position in a short time afterwards. — I have, &c., 



« W. Ronald. 



" By referring to my Meteorological Journal, it appears that a 

 meteor of somewhat similar appearance was noticed in Cape Town 

 early on the morning of the 6th November last year. — W. R." 



Discovery of the Great Lake " Ngaml*^ of South Africa. 



Geographical discovery in Africa has even excited more 

 interest than similar explorations in any other part of the 

 world, and with reason^ — for, while it is one of the oldest and 

 earliest peopled of lands ; while the human race first attained 

 there a high degree of civilization, and a high degree of know- 

 ledge in the arts of peace and war, of science and literature ; 



* The Transit of g Ceti (2 Ceti) over the second wire, on this day is blank ; 

 and the word " meteor" is written in the margin. The first and third wires are 

 22,^ 57"" 27»-9 and 23^ 6S^ 7^-4.. 



