Shooting Stars of December 6 a7id 7, 1838. 355 



Art. X. — Additional Account of the Shooting Stars of December 

 6 and 7, 1838 ; communicated by Edward C Herrick, Rec. 

 Sec. Conn. Acad. 



Various observations made in this country on the shooting 

 stars of December 6 and 7, 1838, were pubhshed in the 72d No. 

 of this Journal. By recent inteUigence it appears that this mete- 

 oric display was also noticed in distant regions. 



1. Rev. Peter Parker, M. D. in a letter to my friend, Mr. A. 

 B. Haile, dated Canton, China, January 12, 1839, (received here 

 May 3, 1839,) after referring to the observations made there from 

 12th to 14th November, 1838, states the following important 

 facts: "On the fifth of December, [1838, at Canton, N. lat. 23° 

 30%- E. Ion. 113° 3'] however, the falling meteors were still more 

 abundant, [than on the morning of November 14, 1838,] one 

 hundred and sixty being counted in the space of one hour from 

 eight and a half to nine and a half o'clock, P. M. ; and a few eve- 

 nings after this they were much more frequent. I have often kept 

 a lookout since, but no recurrence has been witnessed." The 

 Canton Register of Dec. 11, 1838, gives the following account of 

 the same event : " With reference to the highly interesting me- 

 teorological observations taken on the 12th and 13th ult., we have 

 been informed that a much more remarkable phenomenon was 

 noticed on the evening of the 5th inst., when from half past eight 

 to nine, one hundred and eight meteors were counted ; and from 

 nine until half past, ffty two ; the moon and clouds then inter- 

 rupted the view." 



The number of observers is not stated, but it was doubtless in- 

 sufficient to note all the meteors visible. The evening on which 

 the meteors were most abundant at Canton was probably the 

 seventh or eighth. The earliest observation after the thi?^d of the 

 month, which the weather permitted us at New Haven, was on 

 the evening of the sixth, about a day and a half later than the 

 first observation at Canton. 



2. The London Times of Dec. 11, 1838, contains a letter from 

 Mr. George Jeans^ a copy of which is here given, with the omis'^ 

 sion of a few unimportant remarks. " Yesterday evening, Dec, 

 7, as I was amusing the son of a friend in this neighborhood with 

 a 42-inch telescope, the atmosphere being unusually good for 



