.f 



in the state of Delaware^ J>^oi\ 2i^ 1819. 80t 



It could not have been more than five seconds, and possibly not 

 more than two or three." 



It may be observed, that Mr. Proctor published in the Salem 

 Grazette of Dec. '^f 1819, an account nearly similar to the above, 

 the altitude when first discovered \Yas however estimated " at about 

 10^ above the horizon in a W, S. W. direction." As he recollect- 

 ed precisely the place in the road where he observed the meteor, 

 and noticed its disappearance near a small bush on the elevated 

 land he speaks of in his account, I requested him to observe its 

 bearing and altitude accurately with a theodolite, which he did, 

 and found it as above to be B. 59° W. or S. 54° W. corrected for 

 the variation instead of W. S. W. and the altitude of the meteor, 

 estimated by directing the telescope to the part of the heavens 

 where it was supposed the meteor first appeared, was found to be 

 5°, If the object was not discovered at the very first moment, it 



would be necessary to increase this angle, and on that account li 



would perhaps be better to take an intermediate quantify between 

 both his estimates, we shall therefore assume 7~° for the apparent 

 altitude of the meteor at its first appearance in Danvers, which 

 would make the whole visible arc described about 6^ IS'. 



7. The effect of the attraction of the earth upon the meteor 

 during its appearance may be neglected, and we may suppose it to 

 have moved in the straight line joining the two extreme points of 

 its actual path. The error of this supposition will be far within 

 the limits of the errors of the observations, as will appear evident 

 by making a rough estimate of the deflection of the body from the 



nt of its path supposing it to be a parabola, which will be 



a 



T 



sufficiently accurate for the purpose of illustration, 

 of the appearance of the meteor, by the mean of all the observa- 

 tions was 16 seconds, during which time the body would hare 





