16 
days in the year, and in such magnitude every 33 years. It is assumed on very 
good grounds that there are a number of concentric rings of these meteoric 
bodies circulating about the sun, orbits in fact of which every part is thronged 
with meteoric particles. The orbits of these bodies are inclined at an angle of 
17° to that of the earth, and in its annual course the earth cuts through 
these rings on certain days in the year. The majority of the rings have their 
particles distributed pretty evenly throughout their circuit: but the November 
ring, that is, the ring which we cut every November, is not of such equable 
density, the particles being thickly clustered in one part and but scantily 
dispersed in another. The size of this orbit is slightly less than that of the 
earth, and its time of revolution round the sun is 354 days. We see thus that 
the point at which we passed through the meteoric shower last year will be 11 
days in front of that which we cut this year, and by dividing 354 by II we 
discover that in 33 years more,we shall cut the meteoric orbit in the same point 
at which we do this year. 
“‘ Now what will happen when the circle sailing along in its path reaches 
the node, (that is the point at which its orbit intersects, ) and encounters the 
mass of meteoric dust which travels in an opposite direction? Again, I must 
trespass on mathematics, but I hope all will understand me. Suppose we 
connect the circle and the sun by a straight line, at any moment the direction 
of the circle’s movement will be at right angles to that line; therefore, as 
longitudes are reckoned from right to left, the motion of the circle will te 
directed to a point 90° of longitude behind the sun. The sun’s longitude at 
noon on Nov. 14, 1866, was 232”, within a few seconds—go” from this gives us 
142°. 
‘‘ As therefore the meteors, as we mect them on our journey, should seem to 
come from the point of space to which the circle is travelling, we ought to see 
them coming from a point situated in longitude 142° or thereabouts. Now 
what was actually seen? One of the most salient points noticed—even by those 
who did not see the significance of it—was that all the meteors in the late 
display really did seem to come from one point in the sky. In fact there was 
a region in which the meteors appeared trainless, and shone out for a moment 
like stars, because they were directly approaching us. Near this spot they 
were so numerous and all so foreshortened, and for the most part so faint, that 
the sky at times put on a kind of phosphorescent appearance. As the eye 
travelled from this region the trains became longer, those being longest, as a 
rule, which appeared overhead, or trended westward. Now if the paths of all 
had been produced backwards, they would have all intersected in one region, 
and that region the one in which the most foreshortened trains were seen. So 
decidedly did this fact come out, that there were moments when the meteors 
belted the earth like the meridians orf globe,—the pole of the globe being a 
point in the constellation Leo. The apparent radiation from this point is an 
effect of perspective ; hence we gather that the paths of the meteors are nearly 
parallel, travelling in straight lines from that point. Time will hardly allow 
me to give any details of the great shower. It will suffice to say, that in five 
hours 10,000 were counted,—a number small compared with that of 1233, 
when 34,000 were counted in one hour.” 
After apologizing for the unscientific nature of his subject, 
W. F. WELLs read the following notes on his exhibition :— 
** J will briefly relate the circumstances under which these eyes were found. 
They came to me from a cousin who was one of the civil engineers engaged in 
the construction of the railway which at present crosses the Isthmus of Panama. 
In this work it was necessary to cut through an Indian cemetery, of considerable 
extent, the soil of which was of a peculiarly dry nature, and most of the bodies 
brought to the surface were in a state of perfect preservation ; in fact they were 
natural mummies, But after a day’s exposure to the air all the flesh, which 
