250 Mr. J. Glaisher's additional Observations on 



I requested Commander Davies to measure the altitude, 

 and he sent me the following letter : — 



X XV. " I think if I were to say anything as to the altitude 

 of the meteor in degrees from the horizon, I might only in- 

 correctly disturb your calculations, as I was in fact at its ap- 

 pearance in a sort of brown study, and aroused from it by 

 the ejaculation of my mounted guard, more alive to the bril- 

 liant eifect than observant of the object itself: what I said as 

 to its great altitude would have been more correctly rendered 

 by ' great distance,' inferred mostly from the absence of any 

 heard report here. I wrote in haste (as I was so far behind 

 hand), merely to let you know that it was at all seen so far 

 west, and think that mere fact will lead you to deductions 

 more correct than any real data I can give. I have no copy 

 of what I wrote, but think you will find that I said from S.E. 

 to N.W. as its direction ; and that was my impression, for 

 we were facing very nearly north, and the mounted guard 

 says that it was from ' rather the back of his right shoulder to 

 the front of his left ;' though, as I said before, you will do 

 better to consider our observations as simply confined to its 

 intense illuminative effect at this extreme west point." 



XXVI. From a Lady at East Budleigh, a private commu- 

 nication to myself. 



" I reside within two or three miles of Budleigh Salterton, 

 a small watering-place close to the sea, between Sidmouth and 

 Exmouth. Having heard that the meteor had been seen at 

 Budleigh Salterton, I have been anxious to obtain information 

 about it ; and yesterday I saw a sailor belonging to the Coast 

 Guard who, I heard, had seen it. I found out this man, and 

 requested him to describe the appearance of the phaenomenon. 

 He said he was on duty on the evening of the 11th of Fe- 

 bruary, and about half-past ten o'clock he suddenly observed 

 a brilliant light, which made every object as clear as the day- 

 light ; he turned round to see from whence this proceeded, 

 and saw passing on through the sky a bar of light, bright and 

 red, from whence quantities of sparks issued from each side 

 and behind : it appeared about a yard in length, and narrow. 

 There was some cloud between him and the meteor, yet he 

 saw it most distinctly for a second : he believes it passed not 

 smoothly, but as if impelled with a sort of jerking movement, 

 he said such as a steam-carriage has ; its progress was towards 

 the east in a downward slanting direction ; a hill concealed 

 its further progress. He soon met another sailor of the Coast 

 Guard from Exmouth. They immediately talked of what they 

 had just seen, agreeing, that although having been very many 

 years at sea, they had never seen anything like it. The Ex- 



