338 Shooting Stars of August 9 and 10, 1840. 



the discussion of the subject is not without its use to a large class 

 of readers, by making them more familiar with some of the mi- 

 nutisg of an interesting and in many respects a new science, and 

 by inspiring them with greater confidence in the degree of per- 

 fection to which magneticlans have arrived in their observations. 

 They will I hope feel more interest in the observations of Prof. 

 Loomis himself, who is furnished with the best of instruments, 

 not only in magnetism, but in meteorology and astronomy, and 

 is in all of these departments an industrious and accurate ob- 

 server. 



Could the necessary labor be performed, such charts as would 

 exhibit the lines of equal dip, equal variation, and equal intensity 

 in all of their various windings, including all of the so called 

 local influences, minutely true and faithful to nature, I believe 

 some new generalizations would be obtained. Possibly it might 

 appear that particular geological formations are associated with 

 some peculiarities of magnetism. There was an indication of 

 this kind in the survey of Iowa, to the Report of which the read- 

 er is referred. Bat to establish a generalization requires the con- 

 currence of numerous instances of the same kind ; the change of 

 magnetism with a change of minerals might in a single instance 

 be accidental. 



Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, July 30, 1840. 



Art. YIII. — Observations on the Shooting Stars of August 9th 

 and lOth, 1840 ; communicated by Edwakd C. Herrick, 

 Rec. Sec. Conn. Acad. 



In 1 839, the night of the tenth of August appeared to be that 

 on which the meteors of this epoch arrived at their maximum. 

 The present being leap-year, our attention was directed more par- 

 ticularly to the night of the 9th, as that which would this year 

 probably afford the greatest number. Some desultory observa- 

 tions were, however, as usual, made previous to this date. The 

 evenings of August 1, 2, 3, and 4, were almost entirely overcast 

 up to a late hour. The evening of the 5th was clear, but the 

 moon, eight days old, considerably impaired the light of the stars. 

 From 9h. 30m. to lOh. P. M. I noted four meteors, all as large as 

 stars of the first magnitude, and three of them with trains. The 



