362 On the Meteors of 12th November. 



nomenon, aided perhaps by phosphorescent and inflammable gas- 

 es ? Such a view of the subject would certainly tend to remove ev- 

 ery superstitious fear that may have arisen in any mind, and lead 

 every one, who had the privilege of witnessing the spectacle, to feel 

 thankful, that an experiment so beautiful and magnificent, should 

 have been performed within the lofty and transparent dome of na- 

 ture's temple, by the display of her hidden energies. It is too rich 

 an exhibition to be repeated to the same generation. 



If the conclusions which I have drawn be admitted, I do not see 

 why we may not proceed a step farther ; and say that the common 

 shooting stars, which in a clear night are so frequently visible, may be 

 referred to the same causes, and regarded as only modifications of 

 the aurora borealis. For it seemed to me that the meteors that ap- 

 peared on the 13th inst. bore an exact resemblance in their nuclei, 

 trains and apparent motions, to these erratic stars. Has it ever been 

 ascertained whether their motions have any relation to the direction 

 of the magnetic needle ? It is said that the solid meteors, portions of 

 which sometimes fall to the earth have such a relation ; but these ap- 

 pear to be entirely distinct from common shooting stars. I hope you 

 will excuse me for saying so much on this subject, and believe me, 

 as ever, respectfully and most truly yours, 



Edward Hitchcock. 



P. S. While upon the subjects of meteors, I am reminded that I 

 ought perhaps to make a statement in respect to a gelatinous body of 

 this kind, said to have fallen in this place on the 13th of August, 

 1819, of which an account is given in Vol. 2. p. 335, of the Amer- 

 ican Journal of Science, by Rufus Graves, Esq. After I came to re- 

 side in this place, i was invited by that gentleman, one damp sultry 

 morning in August, to go to nearly the same place, where the first me- 

 teor was supposed to fall, and to examine another, which was thought 

 to have descended the preceding night, and which exactly resembled 

 the first one. It lay upon some half decayed chips of wood, and cor- 

 responded in size, color and consistence to that described in the pa- 

 per referred to ; and the action of the acids upon it was the same. 

 But I recognized it in a moment as a species of gelatinous fungus, 

 which I had sometimes met with on rotten wood in damp places, du- 

 ring dog days. And when the surface had not been disturbed, it 

 had a papillose appearance, obviously the result of vegetable organi- 

 zation. I did not satisfy myself as to the genus to which it belonged 



