104- Mefeorohgieal Report. — 7''o Corrcfpondents. 



c4 the fiaft* to the part of the heavens where he firft faw it ; he then on a fi^nal began M 

 move tiiC (t.ift' along, pointing out the courfe of the meteor through the air, and moving 

 the ft.iff with the fame :ii;ular velocity, .ts nc.ir as he could recolkct, to the part wiiere the 

 metior vanilTied, ni.J then rr.ade another fignaf ; the tiniei were noted by a ftop-watch, and 

 un compa'ius tliefe aid taking a mean, he ftt down fevn fi;tonds as the time during 

 wjiicli the nieicor was fecn by thele tUree gentlemen, which he thinks is very near Che 

 truth, liy help of a common quadrant, each one took the altitude, as near as they could 

 rccolleft and ellimate, according to the chimnics and roofs oi the buildings round t*ic garden, 

 oviT which c:ich one faw it, the attention of all of them bcin^ dircftcd to it at the lame in- 

 ftant ; th;le clev.itions igreid fulficiently near with 15* ; in like manner the altitude o." the 

 jnd of its courfe v.ms fettled and t3l;en down at 1 1"; the arc defcribed by the meteor was mea- 

 fuved in like manner, and entered at 77° ; and by an obfervation of the fun (which hi- made 

 on the ]9th lor the puipofe), 33" of tliefe were to the ealtward, and 44' to the weftssard, 

 of the fouth meridian line. 



The fun was about letting or fet on the 17th, and the planet Jupiter hadjuft be^nr. te>' 

 appear, which occafioneJ thcfe three gentlemen to Le looking up <;t ihe time they efpied 

 the meteor, then about 1° eail of, and i* higher, than the planet, ov.r which it aspa ed 

 to pafs, and whafe light was for tlie inftant <)ui?e eclipfed by the fuperior fplcndour of tlie 

 meteor ; which had a globul.ir nucleus or body, from one fifth to one fourth of the a: pAient 

 dian)eter of the moon, and the lame exceeded in brightnclV the planet Venus, during lier 

 molV fplendid appearance in -the dark, notwithstanding it was yet innad day-light ; tiiere wer* 

 no vifible clou<<s, nor was any wind (birring at the time. Behind tl'.e body O; the rocteur was a 

 tail, of a hrovvnilTi kind or ligl t, following its courfe, in wliich tiil one of the gentlemen 

 dcfcribevi the appearance of bright fpjrks, as procctding Irom the body ; the tail w.;3 conicl, 

 and its length e<jiial to three or four times the diam.ctei of ti>e body. To.vards the end of the. 

 ap)iarent courfe the meteor did not dinfmilTi in brightnefs, but its tail appeared lefs (jiro- 

 bably from being nearer to a line with the eye of the f|'ectator), until the whole vaiifticd at 

 once, as if fuddcnly exringuilhcd ; prob.ibly from palTing behind a cloud, too rare, or tlfe of 

 a colour not to be vifible at that time to the eye. No explofions or noifes were heard, either 

 before or after the appearance ; and the apparent UiQt oi the jnUcor was as nearly flraight 

 as pofliblc. 



Befides the above particulars, others were gathered from two gentlemen who faw it in 

 Ranclagh-ftieet, Pimlico ; and from a lady who was fitting bt.'brc, but not looking out of, a 

 window, oppolite to Arundel-ftreet in tJie Strand, until the light of the m.eleor, tarowa 

 upon the ea(tern jamb oi the window, attraiJed her notice, and o:.a''ioned her to loolc up 

 and fee a part of its courfe, till the chimnies and roo s intcrrup-.cd i'. From a compur.fon oi» 

 al! thcfe particulars, Mr. Farey is inclined to ellimate tiie courle o this meteor to have been 

 .ibout S E. to N. W., and that it pafTe.t at a confiderable diltaiice to the .S. W. of i^onJoii ; 

 and ihould this dircftion be correftly aflumed, he concludes it to be probable that the meteor 

 entered the fouthcrn coall of England about Fcvenlcy Harbour, puffed n. arly over Haillham, 

 Cuckfield, Ryei;.ite, Chcrtfcy, Windfor, Maidenhead, '1 hame, Diddington, Stratfoid, Stour- 

 bridge, the \Vrekin Hill, EUefmere, Ruthin, Denbigh, and left the north coaft of \\ales 

 near Ahergelly. The Kn;jth of this fuppcfed courfe of the meteor, acrofs the Britilh iP.jnd, 

 is about 1?4U miles, and with a velocity c.f 4"i.')it (anf.< ering to .-^ miles Oi height), tlie fan: c 

 would be pcri'ormed in the fpaee of 50'' nearly. In this fpa^e ol tinje, th.'.t pait ol the earth 

 ever v.hich the meteor pafled, and its furroundin^; atmofphcre, would be carried to the ealt- 

 ward, by the diurnal rotation, a fpace nearly iqual to nine rniie*. Mr. Farcy comirjuniciiles 

 thtfe data in hopes, as he fays, that they may awaken the attention of curious and fcientific 

 readers to this fubjeiH, particularly thofe in the country whofe refidences are near the line, or 

 track, acrofs the kingdom defcribcd by this curious meteor, (which doubtlels confifted of a 

 very large mafs of folid matter), and to induce them to communicate all the par iculars 

 within their reach, on its apparent altitude and diredtion in many places of obfervation j and 

 particularly, that where explofions may have been heard, or fragments ieen to le|jarate Irom 

 the meteor and fall, tl.at fucli fragments may becareiuily fought after, in the holes in *hiGh 

 they ufually bury th^mfelvcs in the ground, and be prc.erved for the examination of a che- 

 iiiiit ; and t' at as many minute circumftances as poflible of the fall and finding oi luchfiag« 

 rients mav b • noted down. 



\ 



TO CORRi:SrOND]:i\T^. 



Several gueriits are requefted to coi.fult their Cyclopedias, or Elementary Treatifes, before 

 they addicts thcmlclves to us. In general, it would ^e advjfable tliat «^ueri<ts, wnom we 

 elleeni a valuable Clals of Correlpondents, ihould mention ti.e Authorities they have pre- 

 viouliy confultcd, became we cannot occupy our Pa^es with Lncjuiries on common Topics, 

 the Anfweis to which are furniflied by Reference to every modern Liorary. 



K.T. is informed that Communications relative to any Points (f Fact from the Well In« 

 d ei, and in general from Places abroad, aie moit acccpiaole to us and to the Public. 



