Notice of several Meteors. 325 



Col. P's. only thirty-four; in the latter place Capt. W's. 

 observation makes its height about twenty-nine miles. If 

 these agreed better with each other, and could be depend- 

 ed upon as nearly accurate, it would be easy to compute 

 from them its height and distance at the beginning and 

 end of its appearance to Col. P. But altitudes estimated 

 under the impression which such a phenomenon cannot 

 fail to produce must be considered as very uncertain what- 

 ever may be the judgment and fidelity of the observers. 

 The probability is that when first seen by Col. P. it was 

 near the zenith of Essex, a village on the west shore of 

 Lake Champlain thirteen miles from Burlington, and when 

 it disappeared from him it had reached nearly to the zenith 

 of Wilksbarre in Pennsylvania, about two hundred and fifty 

 miles from Burlington. 



The absolute diameter of ihe meteor, computed from the 

 apparent diameter above estimated and the mean distances 

 of the observers respectively amounts to about one third of 

 a mile. 



I hardly dare to make any estimate of its velocity. I 

 have heard no estimate of the duration of the appearance 

 of the body of the meteor greater than five seconds and this 

 would imply a velocity much greater than that of the earth 

 in its orbit. 



The observation of its first appearances as noticed by 

 Col. Page is I believe rather uncommon, though perhaps 

 they may always commence in the same manner without 

 being noticed till their light is greatly increased. 



Much of the country over which it passed being a wil- 

 derness, and none of it populous, it is not probable that if 

 any fragments fell from it, they were recognized next day 

 as any thing more than common stones. 



The testimony of Mr. Doty who according to the news 

 papers saw it at Canajoharry passing near the zenith con- 

 firms the course above computed. 



Yours with high respect, 



JAMES DEAN. 



