though, as compared with that of electricity, planetary 
e locity a say twenty miles per second, yet this error in a 
very attenuated atmosphere would produce an intolerable 
amount of resistance right ahead. 
_ Looking for deflections arising from this cause I saw, or 
fancied I saw, some very remarkable ones, such as no rules of 
foreshortening or perspective would account for. 
inhill, Dec. 2 Henry H, HIicGiIns 
I Horr last night, Nov. 27, was generally clear. It was so 
here, and we were treated to the most splendid meteoric shower 
that I have ever seen. I went out quite by chance into my 
garden at 7 P.M., and saw it in its full glory. I counted in a 
very few minutes 500 meteors, and then lost count, there being 
far too many to count all. On several occasions I saw as many 
as twelve in the sky at once : their radiating point seemed to be 
about & Cassiopeize, and from that point they floated in every 
direction—north, south, east and west. Atthat time, Cassiopeia 
pie immediately above one’s head, the effect was magnificent. 
alpas, Nov. 28 Epmunp V. Picorr 
ON the 27th inst. a very fine display of meteors was observed 
here, which continued from about 5 P.M. to a late hour. 
During 20 minutes of casual observation I counted 70 meteors 
—viz., from 7.45 to 8.5 P.M. One or two very fine ones were 
° ed, one of which, having a northerly direction, left a 
luminous trail lasting for about 15 seconds, The radiating point 
Was situated about 10° to S. and E, of the zenith. The apparent 
yelocities varied considerably, no doubt due to the angle at which 
each meteor was seen. The appearance of the tails also varied, 
some giving a quiet steady light, others wavy or sparkling ; 
reddish sparks appear to have been observed. At 9.35 I counted 
11 in 2 minutes. 
I have constructed the annexed diagram from my rough ob- 
servations. Wart 
Glasgow, Noy. 29 
A VERY fine shower of shooting stars was observable at 
 Boltsburn, Rookhope, in Durham, on Wednesday night (27th 
‘inst.). I first noticed them about half-past seven, when they 
were very numerous; their directions were chiefly downward, 
towards nearly all points of the horizon. The radiant point 
seemed to be situated near the Great Bear, but of this I could 
not make myself perfectly satisfied. They varied much in mag- 
nitude and lengthof track. Some of the larger ones left a streak 
of reddish light on their track, which lasted a second or two. 
About eight o’clock I counted, in fifteen minutes, 600, which 
came within my field of vision from a doorway having a southerly 
exposure. The regularity of occurrence was such as to approxi- 
mate closely to 200 during each five minutes, How long the 
phenomenon continued in the latter part of the night I had not the 
; Saeed of ascertaining. OHN CURRY 
ookhope, Durham, Nov, 29 
THE following are the observations which I was able to make 
‘on the ie shower of meteors on Wednesday last :— 
The 
rst which I’saw was at 5.25 2.M. Between 5.35 and 
Peden 
5.50, 150 were counted by one observer in the sky towards N.E. 
At 6.26, in four minutes, five observers counted 310. At 6.40, 
in two minutes, five observers counted 316. At 8,37, with a 
hazy cloud to N., six observers, in five minutes, counted 553. 
At 8.45, in fifteen minutes, one observer counted 528 while 
facing 5.1, 
A very few, among so many, left visible streaks of light after 
the meteor itself had disappeared, fifteen seconds being the 
longest time any of them remained visible. ‘They appeared to 
radiate from a point a little to the south of « Cassiopeia, many in 
the vicinity of that star having courses of less than a degree in 
angular measurement. ; 
Towards 10 P.M. clouds covered the greater part of the sky, 
so that only unusually brilliant meteors could be seen ; they were, 
however, again visible, but in decreased numbers, at 11.30. 
Birkenhead, Noy, 29 G.. Hie 
A VERY well sustained shower of meteors was observed here 
and at many other stations in the early part of Wednesday 
evening last, Nov. 27. Unfortunately, however, the weather 
was very unfavourable for observation at this city, and but very 
few of the meteors constituting the ‘‘shower” came under my 
notice, The first shooting star was noticed at 5h. som. It wasa 
very brilliant one, and must have equalled Venus when at her 
maximum. This meteor passed down the northern sky near 
Dubhe, in Ursa Major, and left sparks in its flight. Very soon 
afterwards—at about 5h. 55m.—four other bright meteors, 
succeeding each other very rapidly, were visible. The most 
remarkable fact in connection with them was the great co- 
incidence in their apparent courses among the stars. ‘They all 
appeared to diverge from a point westward a few degrees from 
Polaris, and passing downwards became extinct in Ursa Major. 
At 6h, 5m. I commenced a careful watch of the sky in conjunc- 
tion with a friend, and during the interval from that time until 
6h. 30m, seventy-four additional meteors came under our obser- 
vation, At 6h, 3om. the sky was much overcast, and though 
all the stars were invisible, yet for a short time subsequently I 
saw several flashes of light in some portion of the heavens, 
which must have been originated by the bursting of meteors of 
considerable magnitude. During the time that I was enabled to 
witness the appearance of meteors, the sky was very much 
obscured by clouds and mist which rendered nearly all the stars 
imperceptible. I could, however, faintly see Polaris, Vega, 
aand B Persei, 6 and « Cassiopeix, and y Andromed, and was 
enabled from the paths of the various meteors seen, to find the 
exact situation of the radiant point. This was situated at a 
place between Perseus and Andromeda, and about 5° north of the 
brilliant star Almaach (y) in the latter constellation. This is at 
Right Ascension th. 56m. Declination 46° North, I saw several 
meteors in close proximity to this point, They had very 
short paths. I also noticed two meteors which were apparently 
quite stationary, and after brightening disappeared. ‘The largest 
that were seen passed between Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, and 
several were also noticed in the neighbourhood of a Lyrae (Vega). 
No shooting stars were seen in the western sky, as it was overcast. 
I did not notice any trail of light after the disappearance of any 
of the brightest meteors, nor did I hear any noise as of an 
explosion, subsequently to the extinction of any one of them. 
I principally directed my attention to the accurate determination 
of the radiant point, and to the numbers of meteors visible. 
It may be considered remarkable that such a comparatively 
small number of shooting stars should have come under observa- 
tion at this city. The tacts are, that, owing to the extremely 
cloudy state of the atmosphere, only an exceedingly small pro- 
portion of the meteors which actually existed were seen. During 
the whole time of observation—i.c., from sh. 50m. to 6h. 30m., 
a period of 4om.—it was very cloudy and misty, and but few of 
the brighter stars were visible, and these were hardly discernible. 
Under these circumstances, then, it is evident that only the 
brighter class of meteors could have been perceptible, while the 
smaller ones, which constituted the great majority of those seen 
at other stations, must have been utterly invisible. From these 
facts, I believe that no meteor less in apparent brightness than a 
second-magnitude star was seen here. Under more favourable 
atmospheric conditions, no doubt, the meteor shower would have 
been a grand spectacle from this place, and have equalled in 
intensity the display as described by other observers at different 
stations. 
It does not seem improbable that the recent exhibition of 
November meteorites was originated by the earth passing through 
