140 On the Meteors of 13th November, 1833. 



til it was much larger than the stars, then totally disappear from ten 

 to fifteen minutes, and then appear again ; but the meteors shot forth 

 in greater numbers in the interval between the appearances above 

 mentioned." 



A strong motive for making a digest of the leading facts respect- 

 ing the meteors of November 13th, and of similar appearances that 

 have occurred at other times, has been, the hope of affording facili- 

 ties and materials for those who are better qualified than myself to 

 give an explanation of these sublime but mysterious phenomena. 

 The solution which men of science may give to the difficulties with 

 which this subject is environed, will be looked for with impatience. 

 In the mean time, I proceed, with much diffidence, to offer such 

 views respecting the causes of the phenomena under consideration, 

 as appear to me, in the present state of our knowledge, the most 

 satisfactory. 



IV. Explanation., 



The principal questions involved in the present inquiry, are the 

 following. Was the origin of the meteors within the atmosphere or 

 beyond it? What was the height of this place above the surface of 

 the earth? By wh at force were they drawn or impelled towards the 

 earth? In what directions did they move? With what velocity*? 



Wh 



'6 



Of what size were the 



larger varieties? At what height above the earth did they disap- 

 pear ? What was the nature of the luminous trains, which sometimes 

 remained behind ? What sort of bodies were the meteors them- 

 selves — of what kind of matter constituted — and in what manner did 

 they exist before they fell to the earth? Finally, what relations did 

 the source from which they emanated sustain to our earth ? 



1. The Meteors of November 13th, had their origin beyond the 

 limits of our atmosphere. 



All bodies near the earth, including the atmosphere itself, have a 

 common motion with the earth around its axis from west to east; but 

 the radiant point, which indicated the position of the source from 

 which the meteors emanated, followed the course of the stars from 

 east to west : therefore, it was independent of the earth's rotation, 

 and consequently at a great distance from it, and beyond the limits of 

 the atmosphere. 



It has been supposed that this westerly progress of the radiant point 

 might be owing to the effects of a strong current of wind, in the up- 



