140 REPOET— 1876. 



[■? S.E.], bursting like a skyrocket into a number of pieces, then fading away 

 and bursting out again. At first it was of a blue colour. It was sufficiently 

 brilliant to light up the country. When I saw it it had just passed above 

 a Andromedse, and was of a decided mauve tint and double. It rushed along 

 at a great speed, with an unsteady flickering light of great brilliancy, and 

 disappeared near the cluster [j^] in Perseus. It left no train, but was followed 

 by a few sparks. One minute and three quarters after disruption I heard a 

 double explosion like the firing of a double-barrelled gun at a distance, fol- 

 lowed for about 15 seconds by a roUing sound like distant thunder. I also 

 heard that on the Friday previous (the 3rd of September) a bright meteor was 

 seen, just befoi-e 10 p.m., bursting into several red sparks. It went about in 

 a direction N. to S.'' 



Another well-described account of the magnitude and appearance of the 

 bolide of September 7th is that of Mr. W. A. Schultz, who saw it at 

 Lewisham (near London), Kent, and writes that it appeared to be three 

 times the apparent size of the planet Jupiter, of bluish-white colour, 

 leaving a fine train. The nucleus was of extreme brilliancy, and emitted 

 magnificent blue and red sparks. Its duration was 1^ second. From Mr. 

 Corder's account near Chelmsford it appears that the fireball detonated, or 

 broke up and disappeared with an audible explosion, the sound of which 

 occupied 1| minute in reaching his position. This being, according to the 

 calculated real place of the meteor at disappearance (21 miles above a point 

 near Wilham in Essex), about 2i5 miles distant from his place of observation 

 (a distance which sound takes 1™ 50'' to travel at its ordinary speed in air), 

 it affords a satisfactory' ground for the conclusion that this fii-eball, although 

 not so brilliant as that which preceded it on September 3rd, was yet certainly 

 of the detonating or " aerolitic " class, which was also the character of the 

 fireball of 14th September, to be next described. 



This was one of the largest meteors which has been visible in England 

 for several years ; and numerous notices of it were published in the daily 

 newspapers, in addition to which several private accounts of its appearance 

 were collected by the Committee, and more particularly by Captain Tupman, 

 who himself observed the meteor, and who has compared together all the 

 available descriptions. Omitting details of the apparent positions of the 

 meteor's path by the stars, which have been recorded and carefully reduced 

 by Captain Tupman in the above-mentioned communication in the ' Astro- 

 nomical Ilegister," the following are some of the particulars recorded at 

 diff'erent places of the meteor's brightness and general appearance. 



IS'ear the Iloyal Observatory, Greenwich, Sept. 14th, 8" 27^'", G.M.T., 

 Captain Tupman states: — "The fireball was very bright, but of ordinary 

 appearance, three or four times brighter than Venus ; long train ; left no 

 streak ; colour white ; motion slow and stately. I estimated the duration at 

 two seconds, perhaps more ; but I did not count. Lieut. Neate, R.N"., saw 

 it from the Observatory grounds, but lost it behind a roof at mid course, 

 after seeing it for two seconds. Colour deep yellow, with red lower edge. 

 Time 8.27 p.m." 



Train Inn Station, near Hereford, S'' 30'" p.m. — The Eev. T. J. Smith 

 describes the colour as a beautiful greenish blue of intense brightness, even 

 in the strong moonlight. The train narrow and straight, of red sparks, 

 which continued longer than the light of the head. It aj^peared to extin- 

 guish without any detonation. 



Near Wisbech, Mr. S. H. Miller writes : — " I was driving towards the 

 ■west, and the moon shining brightly in a cloudless sky, when my attention 



