322 On the Meteors of 12th November, 1833. 



following statements, which have not appeared before, throw light 

 upon the commencement and progress of the phenomena as they 

 developed themselves in the region of New York. ♦ 



Capt. Isaac Faurot, known as an intelligent man who sails con- 

 stantly between West Point and New York, was on the Hudson, 

 the whole night, on the downward passage. His account is ; that, 

 being in Tappan bay at 8 or 9 P. M. and the wind being south west, 

 he saw, as frequently as once in every minute, common shooting stars 

 coursing against the wind to the S. W. by W. or W. S. W. They rose 

 mostly in the N. E.; and those which started down in the S. E. were 

 very short : about midnight the stars became too numerous to be 

 counted ; but maintained the same general course, shooting on every 



W 



« 



brilliant, and many were seen coursing over head. Between twelve 

 and one o'clock the trains were longest and most brilliant ; but though 

 less brilliant afterwards, the meteors continued progressively to become 

 more numerous till about day break when they seemed like rain drops 

 beginning to fall from a shower. They still kept the same direc- 

 tion as before but " dropped down," as it were, instead of coursing 

 across the sky as they seemed to do at first. Capt. Seymour, of 

 the steam boat De Witt Clinton, was upon the Hudson in one of 

 the North river boats, on the downward passage, and witnessed the 

 display entire. About half past twelve, when opposite Newburg, he 

 observed an unusual number of shooting stars principally, he thought in 

 the east ; but not till half past two, in Haverstraw bay, did he notice 

 any surprising splendor in the scene. Then he first observed the 

 radiant, which was in the S. E. about 45° high. From that time to 

 morning, the radiant did not seem to vary in azimuth or in altitude, but 

 was lower, if any thing, at six o'clock, by which time the boat was at 

 New York. During the night, he observed as many as fifty brilliant 

 rocket-like meteors of large size and long trains; the most remarkable 

 instance of which occurred just before dawn, in the case of a meteor 

 which left a vivid train that remained straight four minutes, by the 

 watch, then wavered in the middle and progressively towards the 

 extremities, and finally coiled up into a cloud as bright, at first, as the 

 train itself. The cloud continued in sight two minutes, and left a 

 shade still visible. This meteor, being identified by the time of its ap- 

 pearance and by its distinct and remarkable changes with the one 

 seen at New Haven which Prof, Olmsted has described, (Vol. xxv. 

 p. 366) will be referred to again in connexion with other observa- 

 tions upon the same. 



