ON THE INFLUENCE OF SOLAR RADIATION ON PLANTS. 239 
teors seen on the 19th of March, 1851, at Shekarpoor, Bombay, Kholapoor, 
and Cawnpoor, over an area of nearly a thousand miles each way. I have 
now to bring to your notice the following remarkable facts in reference to 
fire-balls seen to fall during thunder-storms. 
‘“‘] have scarcely any hope that this will reach you in time for the Meet- 
ing of the Association, as this is our season of slow mails, It was not in my 
power to despatch it sooner, and the facts may be worth preserving though at 
present useless to you. 
‘“‘ We have had three instances this season of what seems to have been the 
fall of an aérolite during thunder-storms. On the 25th of September a violent 
explosion occurred in the air at Bombay, followed by a wild rushing sound 
overhead, heard at various points over an area of thirty miles in length and 
eight in breadth, followed by a severe conucssion, as if a heavy body had 
fallen, just before the occurrence of which a large fire-ball was seen plunging 
into the sea. On the 18th of March, during a violent thunder-storm near 
Dhutmah in the north-west provinces, at seven P.M., a thunderbolt, as it was 
called, was seen to fall and strike the ground, giving out in the course of the 
concussion a clear ringing sound like the crack of a rifle; there was no echo 
or reverberation at all like thunder. It appeared 150 yards from Choki, and 
resembled in its descent a huge ball of red-hot iron with a band of fire esti- 
mated at about thirty feet in length. On the 30th of April, about midnight, a 
violent explosion was heard during a storm of wind and rain at Kurrachee, 
resembling the discharge of a vast artillery battery, and about half a minute 
afterwards a meteor, partially obscured by the rain, but still distinct and visible, 
was seen descending into the sea. It is now well-established that in India at 
all events earthquakes are almost always accompanied by furious storms of 
thunder, lightning, wind and rain: it is difficult to trace the cause of coinci- 
dences so remarkable in the commotions of the earth and air, still more so to 
imagine any connection whatever betwixt the perturbations within the limits 
of our atmosphere and the movements of solid bodies entering it from re- 
gions beyond its boundaries; yet it is surely possible to suppose a thunder- 
storm propitious to the precipitation on the surface of the ground of bodies 
which might otherwise have passed on in their career.” 

On the Influence of the Solar Radiations on the Vital Powers of 
Plants growing under different Atmospheric conditions. By J. H. 
Guapstone, Ph.D. 
THERE are few subjects of experimental research in which such opposite 
statements have been made as on the mutual action of the atmosphere and 
the vegetable kingdom; even the apparently simple question as to whether 
plants increase or diminish the amount of oxygen in the air was long a matter 
of dispute. This arose partly from defective modes of analysing gases ; 
partly from experiments upon plants being made under circumstances very 
unfavourable to their healthy development; and partly also from variations 
in light having a great influence in modifying the functions of the vegetable 
world. The history of these discussions, in which many of the greatest 
_ philosophers of the day took part, is too long and too well known to need 
further notice here. When it was fully conceded that carbonic acid really is 
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