Kirkwood.] 4:Zb [july ^-^ 



Xovember 14, 1866, and the display was repeated with diminishing bril- 

 liancy in 1867, 1868, and 1869. The most dense part of the cluster passed 

 the descending node of its orbit about November 13, 1833, and hence also 

 early in 1867, or about a year after the comet passed the same point. 



The conclusion that Tempel's comet and the great meteoric cluster of 

 1883 move in the same orbit, and that the latter was in fact derived from 

 the former, was reached almost simultaneously by Peters, Leverrier, and 

 Schiaparelli. In 1875 the present writer called attention to the fact that 

 the dates of several meteoric showers given by Humboldt and Quetelet as 

 belonging to the November stream, indicated the existence of a second 

 cluster, B, moving in very nearly the same orbit. These, with the writer's 

 observations in 1853, are as follows : 



A. D. 288, 28 September, apparition in China. 



855, \ 21 October each year. For particulars, see Quetelet's Phy- 



856, I sique du Globe. 



1787, "On the night between the 9lh and 10th of November, 

 many falling stars were observed at Manheim by 

 Hemmer." 



1818, 1 12 and 13 of November. 



1820, ! 12 November. 



1822, I 12 November. 



1823, J 12 and 13 November. 



1852, 13 November. Nature, 3 June, 1875. 



The best observed seem to have been those of 288 and 1787. The inter- 

 val, 1499 years, is equal to forty-five periods of 33.31 years. Seventeen of 

 these periods bring us to A. D. 855. One period from 1787.86 brings us 

 to 1821, the middle of the series 1818-1823. Another period would give 

 1854 as the time for the next display, the beginning of which was seen by 

 the writer in 1852, when seventy-five meteors were counted between two 

 and three o'clock. The next shower from this cluster will be due about 

 November 13-15, 1887 ; the display, perhaps, commencing in 1886, or even 

 in 1885. 



The third cluster, C, has been less observed and is probably less exten- 

 sive as well as less dense. The dates at which the shower has been 

 observed are as follows : 



A. D. 585, October 23 (O. S.). Quetelet's Catalogue. 

 1582, November 7. Quetelet's Catalogue. 

 1813, November 8. Cosmos, iv, p. 582. 



1846, 1 November 13. lb., p. 578. 



1847, I November 13. Quetelet. 

 1849, ] November 13. Quetelet. 



1879, 1 November 14. Observatory, Dec, 1879, p. 248, and Jan., 

 I 1880, p. 274. 



1880, ] November 14. Pop. Sci. Monthly, Feb. 1881, p. 542. 



