348 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERT. 



masses, heat, generated hy mutual impact, or that existing in 

 other parts of s])aee throuijh wliich they moved, gave rise to a 

 variable amount ol metamorphi.sm. In some lew cases, when the 

 wiiole mass was fused, all evidence of a previous liistory has been 

 oliliterated ; and, on solidiiieation, a structure has been ])roduced 

 quite similar to that of terrestrial volcanic rocks. Wliih; these 

 changes wei'e taking place, various metallic compounds of iron 

 were so introduced as to indicate that tliey still existed in free 

 space in the state of vapor, and condensed among the previously- 

 formed particles of the meteorite's. I therefore conclude, pro- 

 visionally, that meteorites are records of the existence in planetary 

 space of pliysical conditions more or less similar to those now con- 

 fined to the immediate neighliorhood of the sun, at a period in- 

 delinitely more remote tliau that of the occuiTcnce of any of the 

 facts reveahul to us l)y the study of geology, — at a period which 

 might, in fact, be called jn-e-terrestrial." 



in thi^ same journal will be found a paper, by the same author, 

 on the " ^Mineralogical Strnettu'c of iNleteorites." See also, for the 

 same subject, " Quarterl}' Journal of Science," July, 18G6. 



METEORIC SHOWER OF NOVEMBER, 1866. 



The meteoric shower predicted on the 18th of November, 18GC, 

 though unobserved in America, was of extraordinary brilliancy in 

 Europe. A full account of the appeai-anccs, as seen in Great 

 Britain, France, and Spain, condensiul from the London journals, 

 will be found in the " New York Herald" of Nov. 28, 1860, and 

 the " Boston Transcript" of the same date. We have only space 

 for the following extracts from a letter of INIr, T. L. Phipson, to 

 the "London Reader," from which an idea of the magnilicence of 

 the display may be obtained : — 



" Last night, November 13, 18G6, will remain forever a period 

 of extraordinary interest to astronomers. The conjectures of 

 Humlioldt and others, that the Novemljer period of falling stars 

 attains its maximum ev(n-y thirty-three years, is now a certain fact. 

 The sight, indeed, will long i-emain stamped upon my memory. All 

 who are familiar with these wonderful i^henomena, know that a 

 large fall of meteors was expected between the 11th and 14th of 

 November, 1866, — probably on the night of the 13th. The star- 

 shower has hajipened, as predicted, and a more extraordinary 

 sight it was not possible to witness. 



"I began to observe early, knowing that the large meteors 

 generally show themselves shoilly after sunset, and at twenty 

 minutes past nine I saw the first meteor. It rose directly from 

 the horizon (my windows looking N.N.E.), from the direction of 

 the constellation Leo, which had not jet risen. It mounted rather 

 slowly at first, like an ordinary rocket, which I took it to be, but 

 it rose still higher and higher, and shot away to the other side of 

 the heavens, passing directlj' over my head. It was the finest 

 shooting star I ever saw, and augured well for the expected 

 swarm, as it certainly was an out-Iier of the November group, 

 differing rather, in color, from those of August, etc., and issuing 



