Miscellanies. 395 
{ can account for this great and rapid change of place in the Zo- 
diacal Light, a change which is unlike any it sustains at any other 
period of the year, only by supposing, that on or about the 13th of 
November it comes very near to us, and that we pass rapidly by it, 
thus giving it a great parallactic motion, an effect which is in perfect 
accordance with all our previous conclusions. 
According to this view of the subject, the Zodiacal Light would 
no longer be regarded as a portion of the sun’s atmosphere, but as 
a nebulous or cometary body, revolving around the sun within the 
earth’s orbit, nearly in the plane of the solar equator, approaching, 
at times, very near to the earth, and having a periodic time of either 
one year, or half a year, nearly. 
Such, [ affirm, would be the fact, should the Zodiacal Light be 
proved to be the body which affords the meteoric showers, 
Yale College, Dee. 19, 1836. 
2. Proceedings of the Maryland Academy of Science and Lit- 
erature, 1836. March 3.—Donations of various books for the Libra- 
ry were received from Prof. Ducatel and Mr. Alexander ; a diagram 
of the human eye from Mr. Green ; a map shewing the connection 
of the Baltimore and Ohio rail road, with other rail roads. projected 
and completed, from Mr. Fisher.—Specimens were received for the 
Cabinet, from Mr. J. Tyson, jr., chrome ore, in a mawix said to be 
feldspar ; from Mr. P. T. Tyson, a large specimen of Asbestos, var 
riety Amianthus, obtained at the intersection of the Susquehanna 
rail road with the Gunpowder river ; from Mrs. E. Geddings, a col- 
lection of Southern plants.—Dr. T. Edmondson, jr. reported a mete- 
orological table for February, 1836—referred to the section of Phy- 
sics, &c.—A list of minerals was submitted by Prof. Ducatel, at.the 
request of the Consul General of France, which the government of 
that country is desirous to obtain—referred to the section of Mine- 
ralogy.—Don Ramon della Lagea, of Spain, and F. R. Hassler, of 
Washington, were elected honorary members. 
March 10.—Donations of American insects were senciaitd pile 
Mr. Hazlehurst, and of Chinese insects from Mr. Fitagerald, which 
were both referred to the section of Zoology.—Mr. P. T. Tyson, 
from the section of Mineralogy, reported that the specimen of 
chrome ore, referred to that section at the last meeting, is in a matrix 
of magnesian carbonate of lime, the proper title of the mineral being 
ferro-oxide of chrome in magnesian carbonate of lime. Mr. Tyson also 
reported that some of the minerals required by the French Consul 
