AN ACCOUNT OF AN EXTRAORDINARY METEOR. 41 



arch, and then suddenly disnppearin^r, leaving hehind a long train 

 of very vivid white light, \vl»i< h slowly became changed into a pale 

 yellow, the latter remaining sometimes for two or three minutes, 

 occasionally even for a still longer period, becoming broader, con- 

 torted, and faint before entirely vanishing from my view. At one 

 time, three or four of these luminous bodies would appear at the 

 same moment, frequently two very near together ; at another 

 I could scarcely turn sufficiently quick to observe the fepot whence 

 the glare of light arose. Once, in particular, three very large 

 meteors became visible at the same moment, presenting a most 

 bciiutiful appearance. The recurrence of these phenomena was so 

 rapid and continued, that in the brief space oi Jive minutes, by 

 turning about in different directions, I couwie^d fortij-eight of these 

 meteors, of different magnitudes. 



In contemplating this scene, of the sublimity of which I had no 

 previous conception, a variety of ideas crowded upon my mind. 

 My situation was novel in the extreme — standing upon a dark 

 pinnacle of the Hill, sparkling here and there with large crystals of 

 hoar-frost, shut out, as it were, from the world by a vast sea 

 of white vapour, whilst meteors of great magnitude and brilliancy 

 were momentarily bursting upon me, 1 felt some degree of awe, 

 and should have descended but for my desire to continue my 

 observations, which I did for upwards of an hour. 



In order that the reader may form some idea of these luminous 

 bodies, I will here observe that they varied in size and brilliancy 

 from a magnitude equal to Mars or Jupiter to that of a Roman 

 candle, some being even much larger than the latter, throwing out 

 a strong glare around, and leaving a long stream of light behind. 

 It is, perhaps, impossible to judge, with any degree of accuracy, of 

 the distance which these bodies were from me ; the smaller 

 meteors appeared to be near, but the larger and more brilliant ones 

 far off. 



On the following day the weather was very foggy j towards the 

 afternoon the wind arose from the southward, the fog gradually 

 ascended, and during the night a great deal of rain fell. The next 

 day was fine and warm, but cloudy j during the night it rained 

 heayily, as it did also on the 15th, with a northerly wind. 



I forbear attempting any explanation of the causes of these 

 singular phenomena. 1 may, however, remark that there must be 

 a great difference in the electrical or other condition of the air and 

 vapour, to account for the dense fog lying at one time in a confused 

 mass upon the surface of the earth, leaving the higher regions 

 comparatively free, and at another to assume the arched, distinct 

 and compact form of a cloud, in the upper regions of the atmos- 

 phere. 



The light emanating from these meteors was observed, through 

 the fog, on the same night in Sussex, Gloucestershire, the Isle of 

 Wight, and in Yorkshire 3 and an appearance very similar to what 

 I witnessed was seen in the neighbourhood of Geneva, the details 

 of which were giveti, upon report, by Professor Gaultier. 



February, — vol. ii. no. vii. g 



