328 REPORT—1863. 
closely with values elsewhere obtained, and hitherto accepted*. The remain- 
ing columns of this Table contain the illuminating power of each meteor 
during the period of its visible flight. The quantity is expressed by the 
volume of ordinary coal-gas which would be required to supply an equal 
illumination for an equal space of time, by combustion with ordinary expe- 
dients in atmospheric air. The heat of this combustion, converted into foot 
pounds, furnishes the numbers for the last column in the Table. They repre- 
sent the mass of meteoric matter, moving with a geocentric velocity of thirty 
miles per second, which such an amount of free caloric, if applied directly, 
would be able to arrest. These may be taken to represent roughly the 
weights of the meteoric particles before dissolution by the heat and pressure 
of their contact with the air. The use of the oxyhydrogen lime-flame, or 
the flame of the electric arc, as the medium of comparison in place of ordinary 
gas-flame, would probably confirm the suspicion that even smaller quantities 
of meteoric matter than these create the generality of falling-stars. 
Taste I, 
Date, = Began. Ended. pC Began. Ended. 
Noj 1863.) GMT. |3 5... 7. S|" — ieee 
$ |Azimuth.| Alti- |Azimuth.| Alti- | S |Azimuth.| Alti- |Azimuth.| Alti- 
Aug. “® |W.fromS.| tude. |W.fromS.) tude. |“ |W.fromS.| tude. |W.fromS.| tude. 
hm s ° ) ° ° ) ) ° ° 
1 9 9 53 0|H.| 266-0 83:0 30°2 62°5 |E. 219-0 61:0 252°3 43°2 
2 9 1018 O|H.) 115°5 rh te 70°7 41°7 |E. 352°8 72:0 337°8 39°2 
3}; 10 9 21 35/H. 79-2 49°2 51:0 20°8 |E. 37°0 58:0 34°7 22°2 
4} 10 9 36 30\ H. 60°0 42:0 50°2 22°8 |E. 41:0 41:0 39°7 22°7 
5] 10 9 46 10) H.| 230-5 20°77 241-2 12°0 |Ca.| 265°3 23°0 281°5 115 
6} 10 9 53 28| H. 99°5 61°3 83°7 51:0 |Ca. 21°8 47°7 29°5 39'5 
7; 10 9 56 45| H.| 1363 31°8 121°3 22°7™\Ca. 91°8 49:0 79°2 29°8 
8 10 |10 4 20)H.| 172-7 16°8 161°2 13:0 |Ca.| 176°6 29°1 155°6 22°7 
9} 10 |10 6 O|H.| 221°5 61:0 212°5 82°5 |E. 256°0 62-0 213°7 59:0 
10| 10 |10 6 35) H. 60:0 68°8 39°8 40°3 |Cr.| 337°5 53°3 1:0 33°'8 
11} 10 /10 9 O/|H. 78°0 73°2 65°2 47°2 |E. 8-0 69°3 22-7 45:2 
12/ 10 |10 11 30) H.} 221°5 55°8 207°5 83°3 |G. | 249°0 57°5 307°8 57:0 
13} 10 (|10 18 50|/H.| 140°2 65:0 77:0 50-2 |Cr.| 275°0 73°0 14:0 55°5 
14} 10 (|10 33 29|H.} 133-0 72°7 92:0 67:0 |Ca.| 357°8 43°3 3°8 33°5 
15| 10 (|10 40 20) H.} 218°7 58°7 219°4 69°3 |Ca.| 316°7 47:8 333°7 40-0 
16} 10 /10 41 30) H. 93°38 43-2 84:0 33°3 |Ca. 44:0 39-0 49°0 30°0 
17} 10 (|10 46 46|H.| 2047 28-7 199-0 27°2 |Ca.| 233°5 39°8 233°5 42°3 
1g| 10 (20 52 26) H.| 155°5 47°5 130°0 45°8 |Ca. 32°8 74:3 44-2 54°3 
19| 10 {ll 7 1/H.| 100-2 31°0 85°7 18°5 |Ca. 53°2 30°5 44°3 15°7 
20; 10 |11 9 O/H. 85°5 64°7 56°7 32°8 |G. Zhe 66°5 34°7 33:3 
ae a= i 
Additional Observations. 
3 wae seat [Cre £2.28:0 24°5 58:0 33°0- 
10 oe eee ha. AG 33°5 10:0 222m 
P4 .. |Ca.| 254°0 51:0 298'8 45°83 | 
13 Ca. 4:8 53:0 18°3 31:2 | 
* The mean height at first appearance of 178 falling stars observed since the time of 
Brandes and Benzenberg (1798) is 70:05 miles. The mean height of disappearance of 
210 shooting-stars is 54°22 miles. The mean length of path of 66 is 46718 miles ; and 
the mean velocity of 37 is 34°35 miles per second, relatively to the earth. 
