of the meteor of 1807. 227 
pressed in the following terms. “I was at the weet door of my 
“ house on Monday morning, the fourteenth of December 1807, about 
“« day light, and perceiving the sky suddenly illuminated, I raised my _ 
“ eyes and beheld a meteor of a circular form, in the southwesterly 
“ part of the heavens, rapidly descending to the south, leaving behind 
“ it a vivid sparkling train of light. The atmosphere near the south 
“ part of the horizon was very hazy, but the passage of the meteor 
‘“‘ behind the clouds was visible, until it descended below the moun- 
“tains, about twenty miles south of this place. There were white 
“ fleecy clouds scattered about the sky, but none so dense as to ob- 
‘“‘ scure the tract of the meteor. I now lament that I did not make 
‘‘ more particular observations at the time, and I should probably un- 
“‘ til this day have considered it to be what is commonly called a ‘ fad/- 
“ing star, had I not read in the New York papers an account of the 
‘explosion of a meteor, and the falling of some meteoric stones near 
“New Haven, Connecticut, which, by recurring to circumstances, 
“then fresh in my recollection, I found to be on the same morning 
“that I observed the meteor at Rutland. I am indebted to my learn-. 
“ed friend, Dr. Samuel Williams, for his aid and directions in ascer- 
‘* taining the situation of the meteor, when I first observed it, and its 
“ course, andalso for the order of my observations. rm, circular. 
“ Magnitude, less than a quarter of the diameter of the moon. —Co/- 
“our, red vivid light. Tail, or train of hight, about eight times the 
“length of its diameter at the least, projected opposite to its course. 
“ Azimuth, when first observed about 9° 30’ west of the meridian. 
« Altitude when first observed, about 18°30.* Descent to the south 
“part of the horizon, west of the meridian, by 7 or 8 de- 
In making use of this altitude, 3’ for refraction was subtracted, making it 
18°97, ; 
