OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS, 287 
‘instead of, as usual during this night, a full minute, or considerably more than 
a minute slow on the Greenwich time of observation (0" 29™ 25°); and 
although in all respects of appearance and relative position, excepting an 
extremely small parallax of about 10° or 12° near the zenith, the meteor 
descriptions at Hawkhurst and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, are in very 
good agreement, the sensible difference of the times and the excessive length 
of path and velocity as well as the extravagant real heights of the meteor’s 
course to which the observations lead, make it manifest that the supposed 
identity of these meteors is mistaken, or that if the resemblance was real, and 
not merely accidental, the errors singularly made in recording the apparent 
paths are such as to prevent entirely any satisfactory calculations from being 
founded on them. 
(11) A large and bright Perseid leaving a long enduring streak that 
remained visible at Greenwich about 15 seconds. The meteor’s course well 
observed at both places. 
(12) The evidence of identity in this duplicate observation is by no means 
certain. On the other hand, from the brightness and unusual direction of 
the meteors, and from the near coincidence of the times, it is extremely 
probable. Even if it can be assumed that no errors have crept into the 
descriptions of the two apparent paths, that noted by Mr. E. Neisson in 
London, “from Cepheus to Perseus,” admits of very wide interpretations. 
Both observations are probably open to very considerable emendation ; but 
it cannot be denied that, as they stand, if they refer to one and the same 
shooting-star, its real elevation above the earth’s surface was far inferior to 
what is usual in ordinary meteors, and ranged no higher than the lowest points 
(between 25 and 15 miles above the sea-level) to which detonating and 
aérolitic fireballs sometimes penetrate the earth’s atmosphere. The absence 
of good evidence both of identity and accuracy in the observations must, how- 
ever, leave this general conclusion from them very doubtful. 
(13) The three meteors of the January star-shower in 1872, doubly ob- 
served at Hawkhurst and in London on the 2nd of January, 1872, were 
bright ones of a very fine return of that periodic shower, and they were care- 
fully recorded. Their general elevation appears to have been lower than that 
of ordinary shower-meteors, and a good average velocity of about 21 or 22 
miles per second (which is a very moderate meteor-speed) appears to have 
been obtained. Comparisons of this meteor-speed with the known elements 
and theoretical meteor-speed of the January meteor-stream will afford an 
interesting subject of investigation. 
(14) Calculated real height and path from two of the most accurate among 
many general descriptions of the course of this large meteor seen at many 
ee in the south of England in strong evening twilight on July 22nd, 
1872. 
(15) Two small shooting-stars simultaneously observed in a combined 
watch of the August shooting-stars kept by Prof. G. Forbes at the Royal 
a Greenwich, and Captain G. L. Tupman at Bangor in North 
es. 
(16) 1872, August 10th, 11" 34™ p.m., Oxford and York. Apparently 
a very good determination of the height, speed, and direction of the real path 
of a meteor from a well-known coradiant of the August shower close to 
Polaris. 
(16a) Two bright meteors seen at York by Messrs, Clark and Waller, and 
