122 report — 1865. 



(5.) Detonating Meteor; 1805, February 21st, 9 h 25 m p.m. 



Over Perthshire, in the neighbourhood of Perth and Stirling. In Fife- 

 shire, a concussion like prolonged thunder was heard in the N. The light 

 reflected from the snow had a very imposing effect. The track of the meteor 

 was from between N. and N.E., with no great inclination towards the earth. 



(6.) Detonating Meteor ; 1865, April 30th, h 45 ra a.m. 



Observed at Manchester, and Weston-super-Mare, in Somersetshire (vide 

 R. A. S. Monthly Notices, 1865, June 9th). 



Path seventy-five miles in two and a half, to five seconds, directed from 

 azimuth 161° W. from S., altitude 12°, near the star CapeMa. Velocity 

 twenty miles per second. Began fifty-two miles above Lichfield (N. lat. 52° 43', 

 "W. long. 1° 52'). Disappeared thirty-seven miles above Oxford (N. lat. 

 51° 44', W. long. 1° 16'). The disappearance took place with a flash, at a 

 distance of eighty-six miles from "Weston-super-Mare, where eight or ten 

 minutes afterwards a rumbling report was heard, which lasted a few seconds. 

 Sound, with its ordinary velocity of 1090 feet per second, would take seven 

 minutes to travel the same distance. This meteor belongs to the few whose 

 real tracks are found to lie from the "W. to the E. side of the meridian. 



II. Meteoric Showers and their Radiants. 

 (1.) (R. A. S. Monthly Notices, 1864, Dec. 9.) 



The radiants T and A G„ (of the list contained in the last Report) were 

 conspicuous on the night of the 27th of September 1864. The first, evidently 

 an early appearance of F (No. 49 in the same list), remained in force until 

 the 6th of October, producing swift white meteors, almost entirely dissolving 

 into streaks. A third radiant, (No. 48 of the same list), was for the first 

 time observed during the occurrence of a considerable shower of ruddy 

 meteors, on the night of the 18th of October 1864. The meteors of this 

 shower are swift and leave voluminous streaks. 



(2.) November Star-shower. 



The sky was generally cloudy in England on the morning of the 13th of 

 November 1864. The following extract from a letter addressed to the 

 Secretary, Mr. Herschel, proves that the shower was observed at Malta on 

 the morning of the 13th of November, ami that no trace of it remained on 

 the morning of the 14th : — 



S. S. Ellora, off Malta, 1864, November 14. " There was a grand display 

 of meteors from midnight to 4 h a.m., all through the watch, the night before 

 last. The watch, an old ' salt,' and an intelligent man, said that it was the 

 grandest shower he had ever seen, and that the whole watch had been look- 

 ing at them with delight. There were no very striking ones, and none burst. 

 Last night [Sunday night] I watched till ll h 30 m myself, and told the watch 

 to wake me up if any were seen, and at all events at 5 o'clock. He did so, 

 but reported that not one single one had been visible. The sky was clear 

 enough, but bright moonlight. I looked out a little while, but not a single 

 shot. The watch told me in the morning that there had not been a single 

 one visible till daylight." 



(3.) (R. A. S. Monthly Notices, 1865, March 10.) 

 Two fireballs, on the 9th and 13th of December 1864, were shown to be 

 conformable to G, the general radiant of smaller meteors, which reaches its 



