7 
A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 115 
Several parties who saw the light, but not the meteor, supposed that it was 
caused by vivid sheet lightning, until I undeceived them.” 
No. 16.—These appearances are further illustrated by the very graphic 
description contained in the following letter to the author from Mr. F. 
Barnard :-— 
8 Cross Street, Islington, London, Feb. 12, 1850. 
« Sir,—Since the month of May 1848, when I sent you a short account of 
a meteor I had seen, I have had no opportunity of repeating any similar ob- 
servation until last night, when, in common with many others, I had the 
good fortune to see the phenomenon of most extraordinary size and brilliancy. 
The circumstances were as follows :—At eighteen minutes to eleven, my sister 
and self were walking in a southerly direction through Holloway, when we 
were startled by a greenish white light that suddenly lit up the whole scene 
in front of us. At first I thought it was lightning ; the quantity of light flung 
round seemed equal to that from a vivid blaze of lightning, but it continued 
with a slight glimmer. This was all conceived before I turned round and 
beheld a large and intensely bright meteor traversing the sky, almost from 
west to east, perhaps a trifle to north. The most remarkable feature besides 
its light, was its duration and slowness. J¢ appeared almost to struggle with 
the atmosphere—if it was within our atmosphere—with an undulatory motion, 
just as the electric fluid is zigzaged by atmospheric resistance, so this meteor 
appeared to be alternately impeded on this side and on that. It meandered, 
it trickled through the sky; and as it moved, gave off a succession of balls or 
sparks which stretched out in a tail of some length, and vanished as rapidly 
as the nucleus proceeded. In fact, it might well have been mistaken for a 
rocket, but that it was lofty, horizontal and silent. 
“ This was somewhat of its appearance, though it is difficult to form a de- 
finite image of such an object. ‘The time that it was visible was, I think, 
about four, perhaps five seconds. I find that either itself or its light has been 
seen by a great many ; indeed I suppose more have seen it than have not, and 
from various parts of the metropolis. You cannot fail, I think, to hear of it 
from numerous correspondents; but from many accounts the éruth is ex- 
tracted. So this comes from, Sir, 
“ Yours very respectfully, 
“ To Rev. Baden Powell,” “ FRANK BARNARD.” 
No. 17.—Mr. Lowe has favoured me with the following details (besides 
those inserted in the Catalogue). 
“ February 11th, 103",—Tail and all together=size of ( ; much brighter 
than (; colour yellow, with yellow light for tail, ex- 
cepting round the edge of the tail, where was a purple 
light. When it disappeared, it broke up like a rocket 
into separate stars and almost instantly disappeared, 
leaving a slight stain at the spot for about half a -- 
second. The edge of meteor was well-defined. ** Ἐ ** I regret I did 
not see it, though I watched until within a minute of its taking place; but a 
_ dense cloud rising rapidly, I left off observing, unluckily too soon, as it oc- 
_ eurred before the cloud came over. The cloud discharged much snow. It 
gene in Nottingham by G. Allcock, jun., Esq., and at Beeston, by theRev. 
_ J. Wolley.” : 
No. 18.—Mr. Glaisher has collected a large number of details of the ob- 
servations made on this meteor. The following are a few particulars, both 
12 
