J^otice of several Meteors. 321 



tlie line of houses intercepted their view, they turned down 

 one of the little streets leading to the quay, where having 

 arrived, they heheld a little to the westward of Laprairie, an 

 arched chain of fire, vividly delineated in the heavens, and 

 concaving towards the earth. After a minute or two, it dis- 

 appeared, having been probably caused by the eruption of a 

 ball of that element which emitted the flash." 



The Quebec Gazette gives the following description 

 of it. 



" The meteor of Saturday evening, the 9th of March, 

 was seen from the vicinity of this city in a southwesterly di- 

 rection, at about 10 o'clock. It had, when first descried, 

 the appearance of a shooting star, larger than a star of the 

 first magnitude. Its altitude about 45 degrees, its direction 

 in a straight line towards the earth, inclining towards the 

 west; at about half the descent, it divided into numberless 

 pieces, having the appearance of the stars usually thrown 

 from sky rockets, but of a superior brilliancy and beauty, 

 the whole disappearing before they reached the horizon. 

 The sky was clear, the moon nearly at full, in an opposite 

 direction, and the light of the meteor when it divided, was 

 so strong as entirely to destroy the shadows of the moon 

 light and throw them into a contrary direction. From the 

 meteor having been seen at Montreal and Quebec very 

 nearly in the same direction, its distance must have been 

 great.'' 



The Salem (Washington county) Post, says, 



" Its first appearance was northeasterly about 20 degrees 

 above the horizon, that it passed above the polar star, dis- 

 appeared about 30 degrees above the horizon, near the con- 

 stellation Orion ; was visible about one minute, and that it 

 appeared about as large as the full moon.'' 



In addition to the above named places it was seen a Bos- 

 ton, Bennington, Vermont, Utica, Johnstown, in Montgom- 

 ery county, Buffalo, various places in New Hampshire, 

 Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, but no particular observa- 

 tions accompanied the accounts. 



The Springfield (Massachusetts) Federalist, states, that 

 an extraordinary meteor was seen on Saturday night, the 9th 

 of March, by several persons in that town and vicinity. It. 

 was uncommonly large and brilliant. 



Vol. VI.— No. 2. 41 



