364 Shooting Stare of December 7, 1838. 
and attended with trains. On both evenings, (before 11 p.m.) 
most of the meteors appeared, (as all the observers agreed,) to 
radiate from a spot not far from Cassiopeia; or perhaps, more 
nearly, from the vicinity of the cluster in the sword of Perseus. 
The radiant, however, could not well be fixed, within three or 
four degrees. So far as it could be determined, this spot was, up 
to midnight, either stationary among the stars, or moved west- 
ward almost as rapidly as they did. After midnight of the night 
of the 6th—7th, the meteors appeared not to Piacges aioe com- 
mon center of f radiation, 
II, Observations in , other places. | 
1. At Middletown, Ct., on the evening of the 7th, Prof. A. W. 
Smith, with Messrs. panes and Rice, saw-in the eastern sky, be- 
tween 10h. and 1th., seventy eight meteors: one of the observers 
being absent half an hour. They stood mostly on the east side 
of the University building, and but little more than half the sky 
was under review. Prof. S. saw 20 meteors between 8h. and 9h.. 
Most appeared to radiate “ from the zenith.” The sky was over- 
cast at 11h. 
2. At Geneva, N. mx Mr. Azariah: Smith, J r. modes ob- 
servations in company with Mr. M.-M. Bagg. Being occupied 
in the evening, their ‘attention was directed chiefly to morning 
observations, but a clouded sky interfered on the mornings of 
both the 6th and 7th.. Early on the evening of the 6th, Mr. 8. 
in a short walk, noticed meteors at the rate of one per minute, 
but his engagements did not permit any observations until after . 
9, when the sky was partially cloudy, and not long after almost 
wholly overcast. From 9h. and 10h. he saw between and be- 
hind the floating clouds, only.3 or 4 meteors. Mr. S. remarks, 
“so far as can be determined by the few observations I made in 
these unfavorable circumstances, I should judge that the radiant 
point was near to, but 8. of, Cassiopeia, and perhaps a few-de- 
grees E. of that.—I cannot entertain. the least doubt: but that 
there was an unusual display about the 6th and 7th inst.; for on 
mornings and evenings previous, I saw nothing similar in kind 
or number to those of the evening of the 6th. _I learn from some 
friends of mine, who knew nothing of the anticipations with re- 
gard to this phenomenon, that on being out during the evening 
of the 6th, = saw so fnaaly falling stars that we concluded to 
