Shooting Stars of August, 1839. 337 



Former knowledge of the Meteoric epoch of August. 



The annual occurrence of a meteoric display about the 10th of 

 August, appears to have been recognized for a very great length of 

 time. Below will be found some of the facts connected with the 

 history of this subject : more can doubtless be collected by those 

 who have access to extensive libraries. 



1. According to Mr. T. Forster, a superstition has " for ages" 

 existed among the Catholics of some parts of England and Ger- 

 many, that the burning tears of St. Lawrence are seen in the 

 sky on the night of the 10th of August ; this day being the anni- 

 versary of his martyrdom. Q,uetelet, in L'Institut, No. 222, p. 

 395 ; — ante, p. 333. 



2. In the curious descriptive calendar subjoined to Porster's 

 Pocket Encyclopedia of Natural Phenomena, c^c, (London, 1827, 

 12mo.,) the 10th of August is characterized by the word Meteo- 

 RODES. M. Q^uetelet, (Institut, 222: 395,) states that it appears 

 to have been composed by a monk towards the close of the last 

 century, and that the manuscript (entitled Ephenierides Rerum 

 Naturalium) is preserved in Corpus Christi College at Cambridge. 

 M. Arago (Comptes Rendus, 1837, 2d. sem. 850,) remarks, that 

 it is probably as old as the close of the 17th century. If it has 

 suffered no modern alterations, it may be presumed that it was 

 made since the introduction of the Gregorian style in 1582. 



3. A native of Thessaly has informed me that an ancient su- 

 perstition is prevalent among the inhabitants of " the 24 towns of 

 Bolos," around Pelion in Thessaly, to this effect, viz., that on the 

 night of the feast of the Transfiguration, (Aug, 6,) the heavens 

 divide, and lights [y.avdrilia) are seen through the opening. It is 

 quite probable that the meteoric season of August will supply the 

 interpretation of this belief. The day being in Thessaly the 6th 

 of August, old style, corresponds now to the 18th of our calendar. 

 If, however, in order to reduce this to our 10th, we carry back 

 the origin of this tradition ten or twelve centuries, we encounter 

 a difficulty arising from the probability, that at this remote period 

 the display occurred several days earlier than at the present time. 



4. M. Q,uetelet (in a paper read Oct. 7, 1837, before the Royal 

 Acad, of Brussels ; Institut, 222 : 395,) has pointed out a passage 

 in the Introdactio ad Philosophiatn Naturalemj of Musschen- 

 broek, (1762, 2 vols. 4to.,) which reads thus : " Stars are seen to 



Vol. xxxYii, No. 2.— July-October, 1839. 43 



