Obfervations on Fire Bait's. 6j 



enlarged, we are ftill far from being able to explain all its 

 phenomena, efpecially thofe of the luminous kfnd, in a man- 

 ner fumciently Satisfactory to the cautious and reflecting phi- 

 lofopher. Though many, in confequence of the important 

 -difcoveries made refpecting the electricity of the clouds, ima- 

 gine that they have found in the electric fluid, fo widely dif- 

 fufed, a certain key to all diftant phenomena of afimilar kind, 

 yet the greater part of them as mere obfervations, and the 

 explanations given of them as mere hypothefes, mud be left 

 to the decifion of pofterity. It would be ufelefs, and perhaps 

 it is impoffible, to mention all thefe phenomena in any cer- 

 tain order ; but the moft Angular of them are large fire-balls 

 {bolides), which, on account of their importance in natural 

 philofophy, have in modern times excited univerfal atten- 

 tion *. 



Refpecting the origin and nature of thefe phenomena^ 

 which are but feldom feen, and always furprife us as it were 

 accidentally, we can venture conjectures and explanations 

 only when we have compared a feries of obfervations care- 

 fully made with the circumftances by which they were at- 



* On the 13th of July 1797, about 42 minutes after nine in the even- 

 ing, I had the good fortune, when i*i company with feveral of my friend*, 

 to fee a meteor of this kind. It appeared in the fouthern part of the ho- 

 rizon, at the height of S or 10 degrees ; had the form of a perfect globe 

 or fphere well defined at the edges, almoft as large as the moon when at 

 full, and proceeded in the fpace of fcarcely a fecond, while its courfe was 

 only marked by a fine white ftreak of light, in an almoft perpendicular di- 

 rection towards our horizon, which was confined by houfes, and difap- 

 peared behind them, its colour and fplendour near the middle were fome- 

 times of a dazzling white. The heat during the day, and in the even- 

 ing, was confider.ible. The thermometer varied from 18 to 20 of Reau- 

 mur, and between the hours of four and five in the afternoon there had 

 been a ftorm in the fame quarter of the heavens. At the furfaceof the 

 earth there was a perfect calm, and in the evening the weather-cocks 

 flawed that a light fouth-weft wind prevailed at iome height in the at- 

 mofphere. At the time of this phenomenon the earth was overfpread by a 

 pile milt, through which no ftars could be perceived, and which the fol- 

 lowing night became a thick fog. 



F 2, tended, 



