78 REPOET— 1870. 



expected to occur; and for this purpose they have provided star-charts, 

 suitable forms of registry, and directions to observers of the meteors 

 which annually make their appearance, with more or less regularity, ou 

 the 1st and 2nd of January, the 19th to the 21st of April, the 5th to the 12th 

 (especially the 10th) of August, the 18th to the 21st of October, the 12th 

 to the 15th of November, and the 11th to the 13th of December. On each 

 of these meteoric dates in the coming year (as their endeavours during the 

 August shower of this year were rewarded with very valuable results) the 

 Committee appeal to observers in distant parts of England to use their ability 

 in mapping aud counting the numbers of the meteors seen on the predicted 

 nights, and thus aid in making our hitherto imperfect knowledge of their 

 appearances wider and more certain. 



APPENDIX. 

 I. Meteoks Doubly Observed. 



1869, October 1st, 8" 12"' 30' p.m., G. M. T., Kent and Brussels. The 

 meteor was weU observed by Mr. J. B. Keade at Bishopsbourne, near Canter- 

 bury, in England, and at Brussels. The prolongation of the lines of sight at 

 the moment of the meteor's disappearance intersected each other at about 

 ten miles over the neighbourhood of Mons, near the confines of Belgium and 

 Prance ; and the meteor passed almost vertically, at a height of thii-ty-five 

 miles, over Brussels. If the observed point of disappearance at Bishoj^sbourne 

 (60° east from south, altitude about 5°) is moved 10° southwards, without 

 any other alterations being substituted for the original observations, the 

 place of the meteor's disappearance is about fifteen mUes above the earth, 

 between Valenciennes aud Douay, near Lille in the north of Erance, where 

 M. Le Verrier reports that the meteor was very generally observed). The 

 meteor's height over Brussels was in this case fifty miles ; aud a more southerly 

 point of disappearance at Bishopsbourne would make the meteor's height 

 greater, and its point of disappearance further south over the provinces of 

 France. The meteor, however, approached very near to the earth, without, 

 as it would appear from the descriptions, producing any audible report. The 

 point of first appearance, " near a Persei," at Bishopsbourne, appears to be 

 situated too far back upon its apparent course to be reconciled with the de- 

 scription of the meteor's course by the stars, as it was observed at Brussels. 

 As the two apparent paths among the constellations intersect each other, 

 when prolonged backwards between Perseus and Aries, on the actual line of 

 flight described at Bishopsbourne, about the constellation Musea (R. A. 40°, 

 N. Decl. 30°), this large meteor's path was probably directed from the 

 radiant-point R^ (R. A. 41°, N. Decl. 24°) in the latter constellation, which 

 is a conspicuous region of divergence of shooting-stars about the middle of 

 October. 



1869, October 11th, 5^ 4" 40' p.m., G. M. T., York and Lancashire. 

 The appearance of this fireball in twilight prevented its course from being 

 noted by the stars ; and the uncertainties of estimated altitudes must be ex- 

 pected to introduce corresponding uncertainties in the real path derived from 

 such general observations. The best average height and course which can 

 be elicited from the combined observations at York, Heighiugton, near 

 Darlington, and Llandudno, nearest to the meteor's flight, is from eighty-four 

 miles over a jjoint between Ashton aud Peniston (N. lat. 53° 30', W.loug. 1°50') 

 to twenty-eight miles over the neighbourhood of Skipton in Lancashire (N. 



