398 Miscellanies. 



as strongly confirmatory of the cosmical theory of shooting stars, inas- 

 much as it seems to demonstrate the existence in this group, of a plan- 

 etary velocit)^, like that of the December group observed in 1838, (see 

 this Journal, Vol. xxxv, p. 361, and Vol. xxxvi, p. 355,) in a direction 

 normal to the observer's motion, and incapable of resulting from it. — 

 Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. ii : 67. 



Olservations at New Haven. — Frpm llh. to 12h. P. M. of April 

 19, 1841, Messrs. F. Bradley, A. B. Haile, and myself, watched in the 

 S. W. quadrant only, in concert with Mr. S. C. Walker and others, at 

 Philadelphia. During this hour, we saw thirteen shooting stars, whose 

 paths we recorded on the star-chart. Of these, two exceeded the first 

 magnitude ; two equaled the first magnitude ; three were of the second ; 

 five of the third, and one of the fourth. The average time of visible 

 flight was one third of a second. No definite radiant was observable, 

 but only a general westward tendency. At Oh. 30m. (20th) we began 

 to watch in the sky at large. Clouds soon came over from the west, 

 and by one o'clock A. M. the sky was so much obscured that we were 

 compelled to desist. In this half hour, we saw three meteors in the 

 N ; two in the E., and two in the S. No very definite radiant could 

 be determined, but it appeared that the radiant region was then east 

 of the meridian, and about 70° or SO'' in altitude. For five nights 

 following, the sky was wholly overcast. It may be worthy of mention 

 that there was a moderate display of the Aurora Borealis on the nights 

 of the 19th and 20th. E. C. H. 



14. Shooting Stars of Bee. 7, 1838.* — In a paper communicated Jan- 

 uary 8, 1839, to the Meteorological Society of London, by J. H. Ma- 

 verly, Esq. of Gosport, he states the following observations : — " On the 

 day after this storm, (of Dec. 2, 1838,) there were showers of hail and 

 rain, two double rainbows, and one lunar rainbow at 6^- P. M. On the 

 night of the 7th, between 7^ and 10, he noticed ninety seven meteors.^ 

 viz. ffty six eastward of the meridian, and forty one westward of it." 

 * * So great was the display, that Mr. M. says, " had this phenomenon 

 occurred between the 12th and 15th of November, those who maintain 

 the opinion of the annual appearance of showers of meteors., would 

 have pronounced this extraordinary appearance to have been their di- 

 urnal periodical return." — Proc. Meteor. Soc. Lond. i : 9. 



In the Institut for October 14, 1841, M. CoUa states, that at Parma, 

 in Italy, on the night of December 7, 1838, during three hours, he ob- 



* For observations made in this country and elsewhere, see this Journal, Vol. 

 xxxv, p. 361, and Vol. xxxvi, p. 355. 



