White. — Descripiion of a Meteor. 107 



[Waipaiua Mail, 5bli May.] 

 A very brilliant meteor fell here last night. Its track 

 across the sky was marked by a magnificent blaze of light, 

 illuminating the whole heavens, and lighting the interior of 

 the houses. After the light disappeared, a shock, as of an 

 earthquake, was felt, and some say the meteor must have 

 struck the earth close to Waipawa. 



'Canterhiinj Times, lltli Maj-.] 



A very remarkable aerolite passed over Palmerston North 

 on 4th May, at ten minutes or a quarter past eight, and appa- 

 rently fell on the ranges south of the Manawatu Gorge. It 

 was first observed high up to the north, and slowly travelled 

 the whole heavens, its appearance being that of a large globe 

 of pale-green fire, followed by a train of the most brilliant 

 light. Those who were outside at the time watched its course 

 with wonderment ; those inside were startled by what 

 looked like a flash of the most vivid lightning, ending with a 

 ball of fire, for so intensely blight was the light that it pierced 

 window-blinds and everything, and made the lamp-light mo- 

 mentarily look pale. The phenomenon was succeeded at an 

 interval of quite a minute by a very distant rumbling, which 

 appeared to be of subterranean origin. Like the aerolite, 

 which was seen by four-fifths of the population, whether they 

 w^ere abroad or not, the rumbling was also apparent to nearly 

 every one. The night at the time was beautifully starlight,, 

 and clear down to the horizon, and perfectly calm. 



[New Zealand Mail, 11th May. 



Masterton, 5th May. 

 A meteor appeared in the northern sky at 8.30 last nighty 

 of great luminous power and rare beauty. It resembled a 

 ship's blue-light, and shot across the sky like a rocket, and 

 then vanished high up without exploding. The phenomenon 

 was supplemented by a slight shock of earthquake. 



INeio Zealand Times (Wellington), 8th May, 1888.; 

 X correspondent, signing himself "Inscius," sends us the 

 following interesting notes relative to the great meteor of last 

 Friday evening: "Something more than has yet appeared 

 deserves to be said of the wonderful meteor which came to 

 lodge with us on Frida\" night, and I was disappointed when 

 I took up the Times this morning that ' Observer,' or some 

 other competent meteorologist, had not already said it. For 

 my part I was so filled with delight and astonishment (almost 

 amounting to terror) at the marvellous phenomenon, the like 

 of which I have never before seen, that I do not doubt many 

 more beside myself will be interested to hear what science can 

 tell us on the subject. I was at the time strolling home to 



