On the Meteors of I3th November. 397 



(L) See Mr. Palmer's experiments, p. 384. 



(2.) Dr. Kirtland, at Poland, Ohioj " on retiring to rest, a little 

 after 10 o'clock, discovered brilliant electrical sparks emitted from 

 his clothes on any slight motion." (Letter to Professor Silliman.) 



(3.) While riding in the town of Fredonia, (says a correspondent 

 of the New York Daily Advertiser,) in the evening of the 14th inst. 

 between 6 and 7 o'clock, the night after the meteoric display, the tips 

 of the ears of my horse, for a half an inch in length, became lumin- 

 ous, and similar in appearance to phosphorescent bodies. It remain- 

 ed for some minutes. 



(4.) No change was noticeable in the magnetic dip, variation or 

 intensity. Gold leaf electrometers were excited by a touch. The 

 pendulum of De Luc's dry pile was accelerated. (Mr. F. G. Smith, 

 Lynchburg, see p. 376.) 



Remark. — It is very much to be regretted, that so few magnetic 

 observations were made. The writer of this article suggested to sev- 

 eral of his scientific friends soon after the occurrence, the probability, 

 (from the known effect of auroral appearances on the needle,) that 

 the declination of the needle might have been greatly ahered dur- 

 ing the phenomenon, a remark to which he is inclined to attach 

 the more importance, from the following passage in a letter from Dr. 

 Aiken of Emmittsburg. "Owing to an accident (says Dr. A.,) I 

 cannot furnish you with any precise data in reference to the magnetic 

 needle. I have, however, every reason to believe, but advance it 

 simply as an opinion, that the declination of the needle at this place, 

 was much greater during the continuance of the meteoric shower, 

 than before or since." 



11. Auroral appearances.— Phenomena resembling more or less 

 the Aurora Borealis, were visible in some places, although in many 

 other places no appearances of the kind were observed. 



(1.) A bank of auroral light, resembling day-break, was observed 

 at New Haven, by Mr. Palmer the greater part of the night. See 

 page 384. 



(2.) There was a vapor in the atmosphere, visible round the hori- 

 zon, which, in the southeast, assumed a very beautiful appearance 

 half an hour before sun rise. (Observer, Boston Centinel.) 



(3.) There were no auroral appearances observed at Halifax, 

 Vir. (Richmond Enquirer,) nor at Providence, (Professor Caswell,) 

 nor at Lynchburg, (F. G. Smith,) nor at Salisbury N. C. (Dr. A. 

 Smith.) 



(4.) At Dover, (N. H.) there was an appearance of the Aurora 

 Borealis, early in the preceding evening, which continued till 4 

 o'clock in the morning, when it suddenly broke out into streams of 

 strong light, spreading into columns, changing into a thousand difFe- 

 rent shapes, varying their colors through all the tints of the rain- 



