374 The Meteor of July, 1860. 



Mr. F. Huidekoper, of Meadville, Pa., makes the altitude at that 

 place 39° 30' from the northern horizon ; the point of disappear- 

 rance at altitude 3^ 30', and 10° 45' S. of east; time from cross- 

 ing meridian till disappearance, 10 to 12 seconds. 



Mr. W. King, a surveyor, at Erie, Pa., makes the altitude 44*^, 

 and point of disappearance in a cloud due east at an altitude 

 of 22°. 



Mr. S. B. McMillan, of E. Fairfield, Ohio, reports it as having been 

 seen, " moving from a point about 10° E. of N. to within as much 

 of a due east direction," attaining an altitude of 15°. 



Eev. T. K. Beecher at Elmira, N. Y., saw it pass very nearly 

 through his zenith, and " so very close to " fx Lyrae " as to quench? 

 if not eclipse it." This star was then about 11° from his zenith 

 and in azimuth S. 76^° E. The meteor separated into two parts 

 wiih an explosion when near the zenith. 



Other observations (not now at hand), which have been used 

 in obtaining our results, have been received from Mr. B. V. Marsh 

 of Philadelphia, and Prof. Hallowel, of Alexandria. 



A comparison of these observations, and a few of the best that 

 have been published, give approximate results as follows : 



(1.) The vertical plane in which the meteor moved cuts the 

 earth's surface in a line crossing the northern part of Lake Mich- 

 igan, passing through, or very near to, Goderich on Lake Huron 

 (C. W.), Buffalo, Elmira and Sing Sing, N, Y., Greenwich, 

 Con., and in the same direction across Long Island into the At- 

 lantic. 



(2.) In this plane the path that best satisfies the observations 

 is sensibly a straight line approaching nearest to the earth (41 

 miles) at a point about south of Rhode Island, and having an ele- 

 vation of 42 miles above Long Island Sound, of 44 over the Hud- 

 son, 51 at Elmira, 62 at Buffalo, 85 over Lake Huron, and 120 

 over Lake Michigan. The western observations, however, which 

 are few and imperfect, seem to indicate a somewhat greater eleva- 

 tion than this for the western part of the path. Possibly, there- 

 fore its true form may have been a curve convex towards the earth, 

 resulting from the increasing resistance of the atmosphere as the 

 meteor descended into denser portions of it. The observations 

 made on this side of Buffalo, which are somewhat numerous and 

 many of them good, are very well satisfied by the straight path 

 already described. Further and more accurate observations beyond 

 Buftalo are greatly needed for determining the true form and po- 



