LUMINOUS METEORS. 109 



later, on his return from the Orinoco, he still found it chap. X. 

 42-80°, though the intensity of the magnetic forces jiarrj^c 

 remained the same after as before the event under con- piicnomena. 

 sidcration, being expressed by 229 oscillations in ten 

 minutes of time. On the 7th November he observed 

 the magnetic variation to be 4° 13' 50" E. 



The reddish vapour which appeared about sunset jieteora. 

 ceased on the 7th of November. The atmosphere then 

 assumed its former purity ; and the night of the 11th 

 was cool and extremely beautiful. Towards morning a 

 very extraordinary display of luminous meteors was 

 observed in the east by M. Bonpland, who had risen to 

 enjoy the freshness of the air in the gallery. Thousands 

 of fire-balls and falling-stars succeeded each other during 

 four hours, having a direction from north to south, and course of 

 filling a space of the sky extending from the true east fire-baUs. 

 30 degrees on either side. They rose above the horizon 

 at E.N.E. and at E., described arcs of various sizes, and 

 fell toward S., some attaining a height of 40°, and all 

 exceeding 25° or 30°. No trace of clouds was to be 

 seen, and a very slight easterly wind blew in the lower 

 regions of the atmosphere. All the meteors left lumi- 

 nous traces from five to ten degrees in length, the phos- 

 phorescence of which lasted seven or eight seconds. 

 The fire-balls seemed to explode, but the largest disap- 

 peared without scintillation ; and many of the falling- 

 stars had a very distinct nucleus, as large as the disk of 

 Jupiter, from which sparks were emitted. The light L;o-i;t, 

 occasioned by them was white, — an effect which must 

 be attributed to the absence of vapours ; stars of the 

 first magnitude having, within the tropics, a much paler 

 hue at their rising than in Europe. 



As the inhabitants of Cumana leave their houses 

 before four to attend the first morning mass, most of 

 them were witnesses of this phenomenon, which gra- 

 dually ceased soon after, although some were still 

 perceived a quarter of an hour after sunrise. 



The day of the 12th November was exceedingly hot, 

 and in the evening the reddish vapour reappeared in the 



