466 Barometric Observations. 
through an attenuated cloud, thus forming an image of him at 
various distances, according to the height and distance of the 
clouds in which they have appeared. 
A large Meteor.—On the evening of the 11th instant, at 20 
minutes before 10 o’clock (mean time) I observed a luminous 
Meteor, apparently 6 or 7 inches in diameter, descend from an 
altitude of about 15° between the Dragon and Bootes. It ap- 
peared quite circular, of a silvery colour, and to a considerable 
distance around spread out alight far brighter than that reflected 
from the Moon, notwithstanding she then shone brilliantly in a 
cloudless space. Its motion was slow, compared to that of mid- 
dle-sized meteors, and its inclination to the horizon formed an 
angle of about 10°, inclining tothe N.W.: and in that direction 
a fresh breeze prevailed, which probably had had some power 
over its course in altering it from a perpendicular descent. 
On looking at the state of the clouds at the time, I observed 
the sky was interspersed with small cumuli that were brought 
up by a warm current from the S.E. ; and attenuated cirrostrati 
of an electrical appearance, particularly in the quarter whence 
the meteor fell. As it did not appear to be many miles distant, 
and it being a fine night, probably some of your correspondents 
may have seen it: if so, I trust they will not fail to describe what 
they saw of it, in your very useful and interesting Magazine and 
Philosophical Journal. 
Small prismatically coloured Halos around lighted Candles.— 
So humid has the atmospheric air been in rooms without fire on 
several evenings this month, that well-defined Halos have been 
formed around lighted candles, with three rings of colours in the 
following order from the light: viz. first a yellow discus halo 6 
inches in diameter, with a contiguous ring of green 2 inches 
broad and 10 inches in diameter, surrounded by a ring of red 1 
inch broad and i2 inches in diameter to the outside of the co- 
lours, at a distance of 2 yards from the observers. The halos 
around the candles in the rooms with fire did not appear above 
half the diameter of those above described ; but they exhibited 
similar colours. 
Coloured halos like these, we frequently see around the Moon 
from 37° to 7° in diameter in a hazy atmosphere, accompanied 
by a high wind. These proportions, &c. do not furnish suffi- 
cient data for a mathematical solution of the large solar and lu- 
nar halos that we often see with their rings of colours; but from 
their formation around candles in a damp air, we may easily com- 
prehend the manner in which the large ones are formed by the 
refractions and reflections of solar and lunar light in lofty 
vapours. Yours respectfully, 
To Dr. Tilloch. Wittiam Burney. 
Pock- 
