On the Meteors of 13th November, 1833. 139 



34° 30' N. and the time, viz. 5 o'clock, A- M. together with the an- 

 gle of fall above mentioned,'** 



Mr. Schoolcraft writes thus : 



" Michilimackinac, Jan. 6, 1834. 



" To Prof. Olmsted. — Sir — The meteoric display described in 

 your letter of the 13th November, whs observed, at the same time, 

 on this island, and the adjacent shores of lake Huron. The appear- 

 ances coincided, generally, with those you mention. The sentinels 

 at post in the garrison, which is situated on a cliff, saw the lake illu- 

 minated, as it were, with falling stars. Indians, at point St. Ignace, 

 describe the stars as falling into the water. Persons, at the fishing 

 grounds, forty miles south, speak in admiration of the brilliancy of 

 the meteoric phenomenon. Two persons encamped at Point Detour, 

 forty five miles N. E. who passed the night in the open air, describe 

 the scene as presenting an assemblage of dancing or shooting stars, 

 which continued to be visible until day light. No similar scene is re- 

 collected to have occurred by white, or red men. 



"It may be added, that the weather has been uncommonly mild, 

 subsequent to this occurrence. This fact, was first noticed the latter 

 part of November, when the existence of severe cold is expected. 

 All December was characterized by a comparatively high range of 

 the thermometer, with prevalent winds from the southward and west- 

 ward. So striking were the effects, that maple sugar was made by 

 the Indians, during that month. But little snow fell, until the first 

 inst. Floating ice appeared in the lake on the 3d. ; but the lake and 

 harbor are still without any fixed body of ice. 



"I am Sir, very respectfully your obedient servant, 



" Henry R. Schoolcraft." 



A statement made in a communication to the Boston Christian 

 Register, of Jan. 25, 1834, deserves notice. It is as follows. " My 

 first attention (says the writer) was to determine the centre or point 

 from which the meteors started, which, from the place where I stood 

 (Lat. 42° 45' N.) appeared in the " Lion's Heart," near Regulus, 

 but evidently within our atmosphere. There is one thing that I have 

 not seen noticed by any that have written, and which could not have 

 been noticed by me had I not kept my eye on the centre or point, 

 from whence the meteors all shot forth, for a considerable time ; and 

 that was, an appearance of a star, less at first than the stars of the 

 constellation by which it was surrounded j but it would increase un- 



* On the supposition that Prof. Thomson saw the radiating point directly in the 

 east, 15° from the zenith, it would appear to have been in the louthern extremity 

 of Leo Minor, R. A. 153° 15' Dec. 30° 40'. 



