328 On the Meteors of 13th November, 1833. 



Buffalo, N. Y. and one at Concord, N. H. make mention of ascend- 

 ing meteors. To account for this silence, if indeed the radiant oc- 

 cupied at any time so low a position (where of course, by reason of 

 the early hour, it would be seen by only a few observers) let it be no- 

 ted that the meteors, after traversing a certain space in the atmosphere, 

 invariably became extinct: Those meteors therefore which should 

 be looked for below the radiant and near the horizon would generally 

 become extinct beyond the limits of horizontal vision ; while those near 

 the radiant, by reason of the near coincidence of their motion with the 

 line of vision, would be very short, and, of course scarcely noticed. 

 On the other hand those meteors above the radiant which might as- 

 sume ascending directions and which did not, on account of their 

 proximity to the radiant, appear so short, as to escape notice, for the 

 greater part, from common observers, would start high in the heavens 

 and pass towards or through the zenith of the spectator, or high up 

 towards it on either side. These, from their situation relatively to 

 the eye, would exhibit long and brilliant flights, and would attract the 

 observer's principal attention and give the predominant impression 

 the character of the scene : but these long and brilliant meteors, 

 passing indeed from a lower altitude to a higher, but still in that part 

 of the heavens which lies over head and which the eye estimates as 

 level with the ground would be invariably estimated and spoken of 

 by a common observer as moving level. This consideration the 

 writer had occasion to notice particularly ; for, on putting the ques- 

 tion to intelligent observers who witnessed the display early or late, 

 " did any meteors shoot upwards?" the reply invariably was that they 

 did not; but on varying the question to this, " did any shoot from 

 the radiant towards the zenith?" the reply, wherever any recollection 

 of the subject was entertained, was always, "that they did" It may 

 be well to remark here that the meteors did, undoubtedly, shoot con- 

 tinually upon every side of the radiant. Mr. Palmer, who has been 

 quoted already as authority upon some other parts of the subject, 

 states that during certain hours of the night, the number which shot 

 from the radiant towards the zenith was greater than the number in 

 any other one direction. Little is therefore to be inferred, in con- 

 trariety to the idea of a fixed position of the point of radiation, from 

 the general silence respecting upward motions. 



It has been mentioned already that Capt. Seymour at half past 

 two o'clock, in Tappan bay, saw the radiant in the S. E. at 45° of 

 elevation. As the point of Leo, which the radiant occupied towards 

 morning was at half past two o'clock 37° high, it might be naturally 



