384 On the Meteors of ISth November. 



unusual number of electric sparks. On turning a small machine, 

 he found the sparks which were usually short and feeble, much long- 

 er and more intense than he had ever seen thera before. On pre- 

 senting silk threads to an iron bar that stood on the ground leaning 

 against the house, they were strongly attracted towards the iron. 



He next examined his compass; found the needle more unsteady 

 than ordinary, but on adjusting it to the meridian as nearly as he could, 

 judged the declination of the needle to be the same as usual. 



The meteors when first observed, were of a reddish color. Their 

 number doubled within half an hour after his observations began, as 

 he judged by comparing them with a given number of stars, which 

 he took as his standard. They all apparently proceeded from a cir- 

 cular space S. E. from the zenith, and lighter than the adjacent parts 

 of the heavens, which was small at first, but gradually enlarged its di- 

 mensions to the end of the observations, at which period it was many 

 times larger than at first. Within this space he was unable to dis- 

 cover any meteors while standing erect, but by lying on his back he 

 could discover numerous short lines of light, tardy in their motions, 

 and confined chiefly to the northern periphery of the circular space. 

 After 3 o'clock, Mr. P. ascended West Rock (an eminence situated 

 near his dwelling) to the height of 200 feet. Nothing peculiar pre- 

 sented itself, except that the meteors appeared fewer in number 

 there than at the previous level. He staid there fifteen minutes and 

 then returned. 



From three to four o'clock the air was still, but at 4 o'clock, a 

 strong gust of wind blew for a short time from the north west, and 

 immediately afterwards, the meteors increased astonishingly. This 

 period, viz., four o'clock, may be considered as that of the maxi- 

 mum. These gusts returned at moderate intervals, with less and 

 less force, each time occasioning a perceptible increase of meteors. 

 The trains left by the exploding balls, were usually of a yellowish 

 hue, but sometimes reddish. The streak was broadest in the mid- 

 dle. He heard at different times a number of slight explosions, 

 which usually resembled the noise of a child's pop-gun, and was not 

 unlike that of a fire-rocket. They were followed by a peculiar odor 

 observed by all the company, (four men,) which one compared to the 

 smell of sulphur, and another to that of onions. The meteors which 

 afforded these sounds, all passed along in a north-west direction. 

 Two of them had each a well defined nucleus, of the size of a tea 

 cup. They severally afforded so much light that Mr. P. could dis- 

 tinguish the color of a man's beard. They passed below the tops of 

 the trees at the distance of twenty five rods from the place where he 

 stood, giving a " pop" just before they reached the trees. 



One appeared to strike the barn, and gave a louder pop than any 

 of the others. An auroral light* resembling day-break, appeared 

 constantly in the east from the time when his observations commenced. 



