122 OF METEORS. CHAP, 3. 1. 



may be replied, between the currents there 

 may be a deposition of water, or some other 

 circumstance, which may extinguish burning 

 phosphorus; and then an alteration of the 

 current may be one circumstance that sets a 

 boundary to its combustion, which in other 

 cases may be continued lower. I can conceive 

 that the change of current might interrupt the 

 continuity of the ascending column ; and thus 

 the star might go out when it arrived at the 

 interception of the combustible gas. But it is 

 hard to assign a reason why these columns of 

 gas, if such exist, should not be dispersed 

 entirely by the wind which they must meet 

 with in the progress of their ascent ; since they 

 sometimes are seen when the wind is blowing 

 very strongly below. This alone would induce 

 one to believe, that they do not really ascend 

 from the earth ; but still they may be formed 

 in the air, perhaps at the junction of two cur- 

 rents. It is moreover difficult to conceive why 

 exhalations from the earth should arise in such 

 narrow columns, as they must do, if this ex- 

 planation of the phaenomena be true.* 



* A Meteor, moving in a very unusual manner, was described 

 at Hackney, on the night of the 7th of November, 1811, 

 about five minutes before nine o'clock, in the North : it moved 



