Miscellanies. 383 



tinct. It may have been ten or fifteen seconds from the explogion 

 until I heard the report, which led me to believe it was not far dis- 

 tant, and I drew the same conclusion from its extreme brilliancy, as it 

 jendered the sea and land as light as at noon-day. It was a dark mor- 

 ning, and so sudden a transition to sun-shine, as it were, produced a 

 spectacle truly grand. My position was four miles exactly south 

 from Stonington, Conn., in a rather difficult passage between Napper- 

 tree point, so called, and Watch Hill reef. The light given out by 

 this meteor was of great advantage, as it enabled us to ascertain the 

 true position of our boat, and to take a correct departure to go 

 through the passage. From the time of its commencement, until its 

 light was entirely gone, may have been three and a half minutes." 



Joseph J. Comstock. 

 Providence, R. I., June 2, 1840. 



6. Alleged fall of a Meteor in Canada. — A paragraph appeared 

 in many of our newspapers in April, 1840, stating that a meteor, 

 "judged to be about three times the size of an ordinary farm house," 

 struck the earth, on the 17th [March?] near the house of Mr. John 

 Daniels, Cook's Manor, U. C. The paragraph was credited to the 

 Sandwich Herald. The Editor of this paper, on being written to for 

 further information concerning the matter, replied that he knew 

 nothing of the phenomenon, and was of opinion that the story is un- 

 true. 



7. Auroral Belt of May 29, 1840.— This Auroral belt, of which 

 some account was given at page 194, was also seen at the Tippecanoe 

 battle ground in Indiana, about 700 miles west of New Haven. It 

 was, at that place, preceded by a brilliant display of the Aurora 

 Borealis, and seems to have presented the samis aspect there as here. 

 The following description of the phenomenon, as observed at Nan- 

 tucket, (N, lat. 41° 17',) was published by Mr. William Mitchell, in the 

 Nantucket Inquirer of June 2, 1840. 



"A display of the Aurora Borealis, in one of its most magnificent 

 modifications, was witnessed in this place, [Nantucket,] on the eve- 

 ning of the 29th May last. During the evening, the twilight-form of 

 the Aurora had been manifest along the northern horizon ; from this, 

 a zone of effulgent white light seemed to detach itself, extending from 

 the east to the west point of the horizon, which moved towards the 

 zenith, and passed that point, with a slow but uniform and majestic 

 motion. This phenomenon, though somewhat less imposing, was, in 

 most other respects, similar to that which excited so much attention, 

 and created so much alarm in the autumn of 1827, [August 28.] On 

 that occasion, the appearance was described by the various papers 



