9 



138 On the Meteors of ISth November, 1833. 



Sir Humphry Davy says, that falling stars are regarded in Great 

 Britain as the fore-runner of a westerly wind* 



Since the former part of this article was published, we have re- 

 ceived accounts of the phenomenon as it was exhibited at Kingston 

 (Jamaica) and in Mexico. At Kingston, the meteors are said to have 

 radiated from the zenith, — an observation which would be of much 

 value, could it be ascertained to have been made with entire accu- 

 racy ; but we have before adverted to the errors which, from the 

 difficulty of looking directly upwards, common observers are apt to 

 commit in referring objects to the zenith. 



From the description of the appearances as they were presented 

 at Mexico, we infer that the exhibition had lost none of its magnifi- 

 cence and splendor when it traversed that country. ' 



From Professor Thomson, formerly of the University of Nashville, 

 Tenn., and from Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq. of Michilimackinac, I 

 have received communications, which are valuable, not only on ac- 

 count of the well known competency of the witnesses, but as relating 

 to observations made at points remote from each other. Professor 

 Thomson, remarks as follows : 



11 Having been engaged in running the standard lines for the gen- 

 eral survey of the Chickasaw Nation in Mississippi, I was at the house 

 of Major Allen, on the night of the ' falling stars.' Major Allen is 

 the government agent, and resides nearly in the center of the Nation. 

 About an hour before daylight, I was called up to see the falling me- 

 teors. It was the most sublime and brilliant sight, I had ever witness- 

 ed. The largest of the falling bodies, appeared about the size of 

 Jupiter or Venus, when brightest. Some persons present, affirm- 

 ed that they heard a hissing noise on the fall of some of the largest. 

 The sky presented the appearance of a shower of stars, which many 

 thought were real stars, and omens of dreadful events. 



"I noticed the appearance of a radiating point, which I conceiv- 

 ed to be the vanishing point of straight lines as seen in perspective. 

 This point appeared to be stationary. The meteors fell towards the 

 earth at an angle of about 75°, with the horizon, moving from the 

 east towards the west. There was not sufficient wind to account for 

 the above inclination in the fall of the meteors. 



" A surveyor's company, who were encamped in the neighborhood, 

 stated that the fall of stars commenced about 9 o'clock, P. M. and 

 continued all night, but that only a few were seen to fall early in 

 the night. The position of the apparent radiating point, you will 

 readily find on a celestial globe, by noting the latitude of this place, 



* Encyc. Amer. v. 43. 



