152 A HISTORY OF 



as it is called; the ignis fatuus, or wandering fire; the fires of t. 

 Helmo, or the mariner's light, are every where frequent ; and of these 

 we have numberless descriptions. " As I was riding in Jamaica," says 

 Mr. Barbham, " one morning, from my habitation, situated about three 

 miles north-west from Jago de la Vega, I saw a ball of fire, appearing 

 to me of the bigness of a bomb, swiftly falling down with a great blaze. 

 At first I thought it fell into the town ; but when I came nearer, 1 

 saw many people gathered together, a little to the southward, in the 

 savanna, to whom I rode up, to inquire the cause of their meeting 

 they were admiring, as I found, the ground's being strangely broke up 

 and ploughed by a ball of fire ; which, as they said, fell down there. 

 I observed there were many holes in the ground ; one in the middle 

 of the bigness of a man's head, and five or six smaller round about it, 

 of the bigness of one's fist, and so deep as not to be fathomed by such 

 implements as were at hand. It was observed, also, that all the green 

 herbage was burnt up, near the holes ; and there continued a strong 

 smell of sulphur near the place, for some time after." 



Ulloa gives an account of one of a similar kind, at Quito.* " About 

 nine at night," says he, " a globe of fire appeared to rise from the side 

 of the mountain Pichinca, and so large, that it spread a light over all 

 the part of the city facing that mountain. The house where I lodged, 

 looking that way, I was surprised with an extraordinary light, darting 

 through the crevices of the window-shutters. On this appearance, 

 and the bustle of the people in the street, I hastened to the window, 

 and came time enough to see it in the middle of its career ; which con 

 tinned from west to south, till I lost sight of it, being intercepted by a 

 mountain, that lay between me and it. It was round ; and its apparent 

 diameter about a foot. I observed it to rise from the sides of Pichin- 

 ca ; although to judge from its course, it was behind that mountain 

 where this congeries of inflammable matter was kindled. In the first 

 half of its visible course, it emitted a prodigious effulgence, then it 

 began gradually to grow dim ; so that, upon its disappearing behind 

 the intervening mountain, its light was very faint." 



Meteors, of this kind, are very frequently seen between the tropics ; 

 but they sometimes, also, visit the more temperate regions of Europe. 

 We have the description of a very extraordinary one, given us by 

 Montanari, that serves to shew to what great heights, in our atmos- 

 phere, these vapouis are found to ascend. In the year 1676, a great 

 globe of fire was seen at Bononia, in Italy, about three quarters of an 

 hour after sun-set It passed westward, with a most rapid course, and 

 at the rate of not less than a hundred and sixty miles in a minute, 

 which is much swifter than the force of a cannon-ball, and at last 

 stood over th& Adriatic sea. In its course it crossed over all Italy ; 

 and, by computation, it could not have been less than thirty-eight 

 miles above the surface of the earth. In the whole line of its course, 

 wherever it approached, the inhabitants below could distinctly hear 

 it, with a hissing noise, resembling that of a fire-work. Having 

 passed away to sea, towards Corsica, it was heard, at last, to go ofl 

 with a most violent explosion, much louder than that of a cauaon ; 



* ITlloa, vol. i. p. 41. 



