224- Mr. J. Glaisher on the Meteor which appeared 



occurred on the night of Monday the 11th instant, and I 

 beg to send you the following account, although an incom- 

 plete one: — 



The time of its appearance was at about twenty minutes to 

 eleven p.m., London time; its course was from S.W. to N.E. 



Its colour was pale blue, but very brilliant. 



Its apparent magnitude was that of Venus when brightest ; 

 a lady who was with me thought it much larger. 



Its duration was about three seconds. 



It proceeded very slowly, and a pale blue train was visible 

 behind it for many yards; after continuing its course for 

 some distance an explosion appeared to take place, upon 

 which it was immediately followed by three other globes in 

 the same direction ; they were visible however for a very 

 short time only, and all disappeared simultaneously. 



I considered its path to be horizontal. 



Its distance from me was seemingly inconsiderable, and an 

 observer might easily have imagined the meteors to have been 

 within a few hundred yards of him. 



Surrounding objects were rendered distinctly discernible." 



VII. Bath. The following was copied from the Bath Chro- 

 nicle of February 1 6. 



Meteor. — On Monday night last, shortly after half-past ten 

 o'clock, a meteor of great magnitude and brightness descended 

 in a direction nearly eastward of this city: on its first appear- 

 ance it lighted up the whole visible horizon with an intense 

 glare equal to that of the most vivid and sustained lightning; 

 as it proceeded in its course, the colour of its light changed 

 from red to intense blue, and its explosiori was unaccompanied 

 by anv noise, but it appeared to dissipate in a shower of sparks. 

 Its apparent size was that of a globe, either eight or nine inches 

 in diameter, and it left a stream of fire in its course, occupying 

 some 25 degrees of the heavens. The weather was clear and 

 calm at the time, but the day had been squally with drenching 

 rain. 



VIII. Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The following ob- 

 servations were made by the Astronomer Royal : — 



On the night of Monday, February 11, I was standing in 

 the Computing Room, at a distance of about 4 feet 6 inches 

 from the western wall of the room, and 3 feet 4 inches from 

 the pier between the central and western windows on the 

 north side of the I'oom, with my eyes glancing downwards 

 to some papers on the table (I think my lamp was in the 

 window-seat of the west window), when my attention was at- 

 tracted to a general light of strong yellow colour upon that 

 part of the sky which was seen through the western window. 



