376 



Miscellanies. 



al display of shooting stars. To him they appeared to radiate from a common 

 center, which, however, he places somewhere in the north western part of the 

 heavens. ' ' ' * 



" Two gentlemen of my acquaintance, both tutors in this Institution, together 

 observed and counted five meteors, which appeared in rapid succession, and did 

 not cross each other's paths. They also fix the radiant point in the north western 

 portion of the firmament. They saw them a little before 5 o'clock ; consequently, 

 at a time intermediate between my observations and those of the laboring man re- 

 ferred to above." 



3. From the Carolinian, published at Salisbury, North Carolina, 

 December 12, 1835. 



" A brilliant display of shooting stars, was witnessed by a gentleman from this 

 town on the 14th ult. They were seen on going out of doors, about 5 o'clock in 

 the morning. Upwards of a dozen were counted in fifteen minutes. The same 

 gentleman saw the magnificent meteoric shower, which took place about two 

 years ago; and he says, that lie meteors of last month, though much fewer in 

 number, were in all other respects similar to those formerly seen." 



• • 



Such are the accounts which have reached us of the " anniversary 

 of the Meteoric shower," in 1835, agreeing in too many particulars, 

 and all too remarkable, to permit the supposition that it was any or- 

 dinary atmospheric occurrence. 





j 



MISCELLANIES. 



FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC* 





NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



1. Atmospherical Electricity. — (Rec. of Gen. Science. No. xiv. 

 1836. — Bibliotheque Universelle, May, 1635.) — In some investiga- 

 tions by M. Matteucci on this subject, he has found that whenever 

 the electricity of the atmosphere was positive, (which is always the 

 case in warm weather,) it is impossible to have any traces of electri- 

 city in the center of a wood or forest ; whilst, not ten paces out of 

 the wood, traces of electricity were apparent. On returning from 

 this distance, the first tree is scarcely reached, when the electroscope, 

 ceases again to indicate the presence of electricity. These general 

 results can only be explained by two hypotheses ; either that the 

 electricity of the atmosphere is discharged by the trees and vapor, 

 and thus escapes to the earth, or the respiration of plants develops 

 sufficient negative to neutralize the positive electricity of the sur- 



