F * 
Miscellanies, =~ 201 
especially as only six persons chanced to be within this tract at the 
time—two of them within a mile of each other—three close together, 
but about six miles from the first named, and one eight miles further 
on. 
All that was obtained amounted to about twenty pounds avoirdupois, 
and the analysis has been already given in this Journal, (Vol. xxxvi1, 
p. 190.) We are much impressed with the similarity of this occur- 
rence to the famous Weston case, of Dec. 1807, of which a full ac- 
count was published by Profs. Kingsley and Silliman, and which may 
perhaps be republished in this Journal, as the facts were exceedingly 
remarkable. 
We are so fortunate as to possess a good specimen of the African 
meteorite, through the kindness of a friend in Boston. It corres- 
ponds with Sir M. Faraday’s description, and is very different in ap- 
pearance from any meteorite which we have seen. ~ 
Mr. Maclear concludes his account by saying that he has seen a fine 
meteorite in the hands of a farmer in the country ; it was picked up 
nearly sixty years ago, by a Hottentot, who saw it fall, and by him it 
Was given to.his master, the grandfather of the present possessor. 
This man has refused fifty dollars for it, as the captain of a ship said 
it would secure the possessor against the effects of a thunder storm. 
4. Further account of the Shooting Stars of August, 1840.—Dr. 
M.D. Benedict writes to me the following: “I was called at 11 P. M. 
on the night of Aug. 11, to ride about twelve miles from Skancateles, 
N.Y. The person in company with me remarked that he had never 
seen so many falling stars, and my attention being thus drawn to the 
subject, I soon noticed quite an unusual number. As we rode along, 
Wwe concluded to count, and in the course of two hours or a little more, 
I counted one hundred and twenty, and my companion about the same 
Humber. I had occasion to ride more or less every night in the month 
of August, and think that during most of that time these erratic visit- 
ors Were more numerous than ordinary.” 
%. Rochester, N. Y. A friend has sent me the following observa- 
tions. . * On the morning of Aug. 10, 1840, I looked for an hour, com- 
Mencing at 2h. 30m., chiefly toward the northwest. In this period, I 
Counted fifty eight meteors, thirteen of them being quite large and 
leaving trains. Besides these, I saw indirectly about twenty,—either 
Justas they disappeared, or merely the trains they left.” 
- M. Quetelet informs me that at Brussels the sky was too cloudy 
for observation. The observations in other places given below are 
communicated by him. At Parma, in Italy, M. Colla with two other 
ol. xt, No. 1.—Oct.-Dec. 1840. 26 ' 
