333 Shooting Stars of August 9 and 10, 1840. 



The night of Monday, the 10th, was clear, but as the light of 

 the moon, nearly full, rendered observation exceedingly irksome, 

 we watched only so far as to make sure that meteors were less 

 abundant than on the preceding night. Mr. A. B. Haile and my- 

 self watched from lOh. to llh. P. M. and saw in the N. E. six 

 meteors, and in the N. W. seven. Prom the observations of a 

 person who was out about 3 A. M. (11th,) I inferred that the 

 number at that time was not far from 200 an hour. The nights 

 of the 11th, 12th and 13th were overcast, — the first up to mid- 

 night, and the others until morning. 



Observations at Jamaica, L. I., 9 miles E. New York City. 



The following particulars have been communicated to me by 

 my friend, Mr. George C. Schaeffer. " About the first of Au- 

 gust, the majority of several bright meteors which I saw, seemed 

 to indicate a common radiant. I also received a note from a 

 friend who had his attention attracted by several brilliant meteors 

 between 1 1 and 12 o'clock on the 2d inst. They were appa- 

 rently not much more numerous than usual, but appear to have 

 radiated from a common point. 



" On the evening of Saturday, the Sth, I saw nothing remark- 

 able, but about 3 A. M. (9th,) I saw five or six meteors within a 

 few minutes, but watched some time longer without seeing more. 

 On the evening of the 9th, I saw several, although the moon 

 was very bright. When the moon was about setting, 1 found 

 the number of meteors was considerable, and from about 2h. 

 15m. A. M. (10th,) I kept a sharp lookout, with an intermission 

 only of about five minutes, directing my attention towards Cas- 

 siopeia. During the hour from 2h. 15m. to 3h. 15m. I counted 

 sixty seven meteors, and in the next half hour I counted thir- 

 ty eight, and in all until I retired, (about 4h. A. M.,) one hun- 

 dred and twelve. It will be seen that notwithstanding the light 

 of day, the number was on the increase during the last half 

 hour. Most of the meteors were above the second magnitude ; 

 some were very bright and left trains ; few were very small, and 

 still fewer were nonconformists. I was struck by one peculiarity 

 which continued during the night, — the appearance of four or 

 five meteors in rapid succession, and then a considerable pause. 

 The point (or rather the centre of the region) of radiation, care- 

 fully observed, was at 3 A. M. a little south of a point one third 



