142 BULLETIN OF THE 



promptly to the Society, had not one of our members been led 

 to believe that the disappearance of the meteor above Fairfax 

 County, Virginia, or a little to the southwest thereof, might lead 

 to the recovery of some fragments. 



We have, therefore, for the past two years, sought opportunity 

 of realizing this hope, which we now reluctantly relinquish, espe- 

 cially since the individual whose observations and conversation 

 gave rise to this hope has removed to the State of Michigan 

 during the past year. 



The following general account embraces most of what is de- 

 ducible from the data that we have collected: — 



The meteor appeared on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 1813, 

 at t h. 39 m. P. M., Washington time ; the " explosion" was 

 heard at Washington at 7 h. 42 m. P. M. 



In brightness it appeared to all (or nearly all) to exceed the 

 full moon, and those who looked steadily at it state that the 

 main body was of a conical shape, moving base forward (one 

 says apex forward), with a short tail behind. No one speaks of 

 any train being left behind, such as so often accompanies these 

 meteors. The prevailing color was, we judge from the descrip- 

 tions, a bright yellow, but the sparks or flames reported as pro- 

 ceeding from it were bright red and blue. 



It entered the earth's atmosphere at some point vertically 

 above the northern part of the State of Delaware, so that its 

 apparent altitude as seen at Danbury, Conn., was 30°, and at 

 Washington, D. C, about 45°, and its real altitude, therefore, 

 above the earth's surface must have been about ninety miles. 



Its path was from this point downward toward a point about 

 eight miles above Fairfax Court House, Fairfax County, Vir- . 

 ginia, after which it probably passed but little to the southwest 

 before it disappeared ; it may have passed as much as forty miles 

 further, or to over Rappahannock County in the same State, but 

 more likely is it that it disappeared when still over Fairfax 

 County. * 



■Washington. 96 miles. N. part of 160 miles. Danbury, Conn, 



Its nearest approach to the City of Washington may perhaps 

 be determined by the length of time elapsing before its sound 



* The data recently collected by Prof. Chickeving increase the proba- 

 bility that the meteor passed beyond Fairfax County, and was twenty 

 miles above the earth's surface at its nearest approach. 



