382— Miscellanies. 
morning gun, this ball was seen about southeast of Goat Hill; it then 
darted along to a considerable distance westward; and immediately 
after it disappeared, there was an explosion as of great guns, in quick 
succession, three times, from the sky, with a quaking: the distance of 
‘time between each report was only about a second; and fifteen or 
twenty seconds after the whole, fort James fired its notice gun. 
These are my own observations, and of half a dozen respectable per- 
sons, who saw the whole, and on whose character I can depend for 
the truth, and who were so shocked at the time, that they betook 
themselves instantly to prayer.” 
5. Splendid Meteoric Fire-Ball.—On the morning of Wednes- 
day, May 13, 1840, about 3 o’clock, a meteor of very uncommon 
splendor was seen in Connecticut, and in many places in the adjoin- 
ing States. At New Haven, the illumination caused by the meteor 
was surprisingly vivid; but the person who saw the light, was pre- 
vented by a large building, from obtaining a view of the body. He 
could only perceive that its course was from 8. E. to E. Accounts 
from Albany, N. Y., Boston, Mass., and other places, all agree in 
stating the light of the meteor to have been uncommonly powerful, 
and its apparent size nearly or quite equal to the moon at full. The 
accounts do not give the data necessary for determining the path, 
velocity, or size of this meteor, which was, undoubtedly, one of 
those from which stony masses are thrown down to the earth. The 
report of the explosion was, of course, much less distinctly heard 
here than in the eastern part of the State. Through the kindness of 
Mr. Gurdon Trumbull, of Stonington, I have received the following 
account of the occurrence from Capt. Comstock, of the steamboat 
Massachusetts, who happened to be near the scene of the explosion. 
It seems probable that when the meteor exploded, it was over the 
town of Westerly, in Rhode Island. E. C. H. 
‘The meteor observed on the 13th of May, at 3 A. M., bore at its 
starting point, (from my position, in lat. 41° 18’ N.; long. 71° 57 
W..,) about E. S. E. perhaps 60° above the horizon, and went with 
great rapidity on a course N. N. W. } W., at an inclination of about 
30° towards the earth. When Veavigs N. E. or thereabouts, it par- 
tially exploded; the remainder (in appearance nearly as large as at 
first) pursued the same course as before, until it descended within a 
short distance of the horizon, when it exploded with a report which I 
oe heard. At the time of its explosion, it bore N. N. E., per- 
haps a little more northerly. Its size appeared larger than the full 
+ There was a brilliant train left behind, which retained its 
snome, moreets. after the main body had become entirely ex- 
