on Thursday, the \2th of August 1853. 293 



" I beg to state that the meteor seen on the evening of the 

 12th instant made its appearance here one or two minutes after 

 9 o'clock P.M. (Belfast time). Its place when first seen was 

 almost the position of /3 Capricorni, being in a direct line with 

 a Lyra; and a Aquite, and at about the same distance from the 

 latter as between these stars. It continued visible about 10% 

 leaving a brilliant train. Its elevation, I should thmk, was 

 about 12° or 15° above the horizon, and the direction of its 

 flight was N.W." 



II. From Belfast. In a second communication L. P. Duke, 

 Esq., says, — 



" In reply to your further inquiry respecting the meteor ot 

 the 12th of August, I have to say, that, as it appeared to take a 

 course nearly parallel to the horizon (as far as I remember), its 

 altitude at the time of disappearance was about the same as at that 

 of the appearance, which was fi-om 15° to 20°. As it appeared 

 a few degrees only east of south, and took a westerly course, it 

 must have been at the time of disappearance some degrees west 

 of the meridian ; but I regret that, not having accm-ately marked 

 the place of its appearance, I am unable to speak definitely re- 

 garding it." . 



At Belfast, at this time /3 Capricorni was situated at an alti- 

 tude of about 17i°, and in azimuth about 21° east of south ; 

 therefore the most probable altitude of the meteor at Belfast was 

 about 15°. 



III. From Dorrington, Glassan Ballymahon, Ireland. St. 

 George Grey, Esq., in a letter to me, says, — 



" On the evening of the 13th inst., about 9^ 30^ Greenwich 

 time, I observed in the eastern quarter of the heavens a large 

 meteor, of a vi\id blue colour, descending in a southerly direc- 

 tion towards the horizon at an angle of about 45 or 60 degrees. 

 In its colour and time of appearance it corresponds exactly with 

 tbc meteor mentioned in a X^ie^wmhzv oi t\i(i Illustrated London 

 News, and there seems to be no doubt of its being identical vnth 

 the one described in that journal. 



" I did not observe it until a little before its disappearance, 

 but a friend who was along with me describes it as a round body 

 with two trains of Hght extending from it some degrees in oppo- 

 site directions. I was fortunately able to mark pretty accurately 

 the place of its disappearance, the altitude of which I measm-ed 

 with a sextant and found to be 9°, and its azimuth eastwards 

 from the south i)oint 72°. ]\Iy latitude and longitude are 53° 

 27' 50" N., and 7° 45' W. respectively. 



" Though I have not been so successful in obtaining as perfect 

 an observation of this meteor as of several others which I have 



