832 Shooting Stars of August, 1839. 



apparently advanced about the same distance. We would sug- 

 gest the query, whether these meteors do not generally come from 

 a belt of the heavens, rather than from a circumscribed spot. 

 ^ Several persons have remarked to us that more than an ordinary 

 number of meteors were seen on the evenings of the 7th and 8th, 

 but no definite observations were made. — Ledger, Aug. 13, 1839. 



6. Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. — Mr. Forrest Shepherd of 

 this city, who was travelling from the 3d to the 12th of August 

 last on the Mississippi and Ohio, made during that period such 

 observations for meteors as his circumstances permitted, and with 

 the following general results. During the nights from 3d to 6th, 

 inclusive, the number of meteors was greater than usual. On the 

 7th, the number was somewhat diminished. From the Sth to 

 10th, inclusive, meteors were much more abundant, and attracted 

 the attention of unconcerned persons. On the 12th he made no 

 observation, and on the next night he found that they were be- 

 coming less frequent. 



7. Pensacola, Florida.— My. E. Fitch, Prof. Maths. U. S. N., 

 has sent me an account of some brief observations whi<;h intervals 

 of clear sky permitted him to make about the 9th of August. His 

 letter not being at hand, I can here only state that during the 

 early part of the night, at that epoch, it did not appear that me-' 

 teors were unusually numerous, but after midnight they were 

 rather more frequent than common. At Claiborne, Ala., the state 

 of the sky prevented the observers at that place from obtaining 

 any satisfactory view. 



8. At sea, lat. about 44° N. ; lo7i. 46° to 44° TF.— Prof. C. U. 

 Shepard expected to observe, (on his passage to London in the 

 steamship Bj^itish Queen,) the meteors which might appear on 

 and about the 9th of August. I have this day learned from him that 

 all the evenings, from the 9th to the 13th, inclusive, proved unfa- 

 vorable. " On the evening of the 7th, several meteors were seen, 

 one of which, at llh. 5m. P. M., was very splendid, and illumina- 

 ted the northern quarter of the heavens for at least one minute.* 

 Capt. Roberts informed me the next day that between midnight 

 and 4 A. M., (of the 8th,) he was struck by the number of shoot- 

 ing stars. He was decidedly of opinion that they were more fre- 

 quent than common'." On the evening of the Sth, it did not ap- 



* From tliis it may be inferred that the train of the meteor remained ia sight for 

 one minute. 



