Miscellanies. 39f 



of each, shot round the moon's edge, between them, rapidly, till, at a 

 certain time, the threads from the two met and joined in one, — thus 

 uniting the cusps. At a certain time following the instant of nearest 

 formation of the ring the thread became again disunited, and the reverse 

 phenomena of those just mentioned took place. 



In meditating, at the time and occasionally at subsequent times, upon 

 this, to me, surprising phenomenon, I could obtain no glimpse of a so- 

 lution respecting the probable cause, unless by supposing the existence 

 of a lunar atmosphere. It is, I admit, only in one point of view that I 

 can be held excusable for offering these phenomena as proof upon this 

 high and much questioned topic, antecedently to having myself de- 

 monstrated by a rigid process the mode in which a lunar atmosphere 

 implies and accounts for just those appearances which I witnessed. 

 But, although I am not without my reasonings to fortily the conjecture 

 above presented, those are not to my present purpose. An excuse for 

 my boldness, if I need one, may be found in the nature of my present 

 object, which is simply to invite attention to expected and interesting 

 phenomena, on the part of observers among my countrymen who may 

 be favorably situated abroad for devoting to them the requisite attention, 

 as well as on the part of any others to whom these unpretending thoughts 

 may find way and whom they may concern. A. C. T. 



13. Meteors of April 18-20, 1841. — About 8 p. m. on the 18th of April, 

 1841, at Vidalia, Louisiana, Prof Forshey noticed an unusual number 

 of meteors in different parts of the heavens, and on tracing their paths 

 backwards, found that they traversed the constellation Virgo. Having 

 commenced precise observations at half past eight, and continued them 

 for three hours, he saw in two hours and a quarter, (forty five minutes 

 being lost in recording,) sixty meteors, of which, all but five, passed with- 

 in 10° from the common radiant point. These meteors were very unlike 

 those of the August shower ; being chiefly v/ithout trains, and of a red- 

 dish color, few of them of the first magnitude, and the greater number 

 of the third and inferior magnitudes. Their velocities were remarkably 

 equal and gentle ; their paths short, and their light first increasing and 

 then waning. Prof. F. determined their radiant point to be in a line 

 drawn from Spica to Virginis, somewhat nearer to Spica, about R. A. 

 198°, S. deck 8°. The convergent point was therefore in longitude 

 19°. 6, and lat. N. 0°.3, while the observer's motion was towards a point 

 of the ecliptic, in long. 299°. This gives a deflection of the path of the 

 meteors, relatively to the true path of the observer, of 80°. 6 ; and 

 hence their true velocity cannot have been much less than that of the 

 observer, or about sixteen geographical miles per second. This obser- 

 vation of the convergent point of these meteors, Mr. Walker regards 



