268 



REPORT, 1878. 



The meteor appeared as a distinct well-defined silver-coloured streak, 

 W.S.W. of Dublin, forming a spiral curve, with a distinct head or nucleus of 

 white light, which after being visible for nearly two seconds, burst into frag- 

 ments with a loud noise [?] The spiral streak continued visible for seven 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 2. 



masses 



Fig. 3. 



minutes, during which time the spiral form became more and more developed, 

 until the circles became lost by evaporation. The sky was clear and the atmo- 

 sphere calm." At Newtown the meteor fell from near the zenith to S.W., 

 leaving a streak for nearly a quarter of an hour which curled on itself 



"thus -< and afterwards acquired this form C r_") • Its cloud- 

 must have been lighted up by the sun's rays, and were more striking, 

 even, it would seem in England than they have been described in Ireland. 

 The appearance which it exhibited at Monmouth is noted in Mr. Watkins 

 Old's observation of its course in the accompanying Fireball List. Mr. 



A. W. Batson, of the South Wales 

 Institution at Swansea, who is a 

 good artist, made two sketches of 

 it, which are thus referred to in the 

 ' Standard ' of October 23rd :—" The 

 meteor fell perpendicularly, almost 

 due west, over the light of the sun. 

 After its disappearance there re- 

 mained an immensely bright, jagged 

 trail of light, which gradually as- 

 sumed a spiral form, and floated in 

 a southerly direction. In its last 

 form it looked like a letter C with 

 flourishes. This phenomenon was 

 visible for fully ten minutes, at the 

 end of which time it dissolved into 

 a cloud of phosphorescent light." 



1877, November 23rd, 8 h 24 m 

 p.m., Lancashire, and most parts of 

 England, Wales, Scotland and Ire- 

 land. Accounts of this detonating 

 fireball, which appeared as large as 

 the full moon at Manchester and 

 Liverpool, and was at least as brilliant, appeared in a great many con- 

 temporary journals, local and leading newspapers, and scientific periodi- 

 cals, very quickly after its occurrence. A letter from Captain Tupman, 

 of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in the ' Times ' of November 30th, 

 soliciting particular accounts of its appearance from observers in Wales, 



