Mr. J, Prideaux on the Meteor of June 29th. 307 



drew his eyes for a second or two from the meteor, to observe 

 the degree of illumination which it diffused, and he saw the 

 Avheel-tracks and little stones on the road, and the country 

 around, as clearly as they could be seen by daylight. 



I consider the light shed by the phsenomenon over this 

 neighbourhood equal to that of a cloudless noon in December. 



From the above description, I conclude that the meteor 

 must first have appeai'ed in the S.E. by S., and have moved 

 towards that point until it sank beneath the horizon ; its ap- 

 parent increase of size, and its redness on approaching the 

 horizon, being explicable on the same principle that the moon 

 seems so very large and red when near the horizon, compared 

 with her appeai'ance when soutliing. 



I find that the meteor has been seen in France. 

 I am, &c., 

 Rednith, July 14th, 1832. Rd. EdmondS, Jun. 



LVI. Notice of the Meteor ofjtme 29th ,- and Inquiries rela- 

 tive to certain Points ?"« Magneto-Electricity. By Mr. John 

 Prideaux. 



To the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 



Gentlemen, 

 'T'HE great meteor which appeared on the 29th ultimo, 

 -*• having been very differently represented from different 

 quarters, and having excited attention through a wide range, 

 1 have collected as many particulars as could be gained, from 

 a considerable number of observers in our own neighbourhood, 

 and from the crews of vessels who saw more or less of it in 

 their passage hither both from the east and the west. These 

 particulars are transmitted to you, in the hope, that, making 

 your Journal the focus, we may obtain a complete account of 

 it ; particularly of its descent, which must have been far to 

 the southward, probably in the Bay of Biscay, if it cleared 

 the French coast. 



On the day named, Friday the 29th ult., a large star ap- 

 peared near the zenith, having extreme brilliancy, its light 

 resembling that of lime under the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe. It 

 passed ([Uickly southward, enlarging as it proceeded, to a cir- 

 cular disc approaching the full moon in size, and the sun in 

 splendour, until within about 5° of the horizon, when ii ap- 

 peared to expand till lost by extenuation, without sound. Its 

 course was marked by a continuous train of liglit, dilating 

 witli its expansion, and generally about five or six times its 

 diameter. The entire form of this train is described as pyra- 

 2 R 2 



