on Thursday, the 12th of August 1852. 295 



From the diagram accompanying tliis letter, the meteor when 

 first seen was at the altitude of 33°, and when last seen at an 

 altitude of 30°, and in azimuth 22^° E. of N. at both times. 



VI. From Swansea. Matthew Moggeridge, Esq., favom-ed 

 me with the following particulars : — 



" On August 12, at ^^ 22°^ p.m., sky clear, wind W., while 

 walking in the garden at the Willows, our attention was caught 

 by a sudden glare, and turning round I saw a meteor approach- 

 ing Cassiopeia from the magnetic north; colour, phosphoric 

 blue, width 15 minutes; length (nucleus) 1 deg. 3min., followed 

 by a fiery streak 5 deg. Motion at first that of a rocket ; dura- 

 tion 3 minutes 40 seconds, of which perhaps one second was 

 occupied by its transit across 15 degrees of the heavens, from 

 the point where it appeared over the trees at the east end of the 

 house, imtil it became stationary in a line between my eye and 

 Cassiopeia, the nucleus then being a little above « Cassiopeia. It 

 now assumed a totally different aspect; colour red, changing to 

 that of a luminous vapour ; width 30 min., length 8 deg., motion 

 for 2 sec, contorting and coiling itself up until it appeared like 

 a huge snake reposing its massive folds in Cassiopeia's chain. 

 There it remained for the rest of the time that it was visible 

 (^. e. 3 min. 37 sec), always within that constellation, though 

 slightly varying in position from the contortions which continued, 

 but were less marked, until the whole gradually faded away." 



Therefore the altitude ■ of the meteor as seen from Swansea 

 was about 40°, and its azimuth about 45° E. of N. 



VII. From Torrington, Devonshire. Henry D. Lowe, Esq., 

 furnished me with the following particulars : — 



" I have observed many meteors, but I never witnessed so 

 great an amount of light from a similar cause as surrounded me 

 at the moment that the meteor of the 12th instant made its 

 appearance. At that time I was about a mile distant from this 

 town in an easterly direction, and on the part of the road where I 

 was walking surrounding objects had become more indistinct than 

 they would have been from the time of night alone, in conse- 

 quence of an overhanging wood, when in a moment every object 

 was covered with light; but it gave me no impression of its 

 being a flash of lightning ; for while the continuance of the light 

 upon the scene around was of short duration, yet it was suffi- 

 ciently long to contrast it with the lightning's instantaneous 

 flash. 



" I was dazzled, and did not at once recognise the object itself; 

 and when I did, it was at a considerable distance, and presented 

 the appearance depicted in the Illustrated Ncivs. I have been 

 anxious to meet with some one who saw the body itself at the 

 moment of its appearance, bu I have not been able to do so. 



