180 On the Shooting Stars of Aug. 9th and 10th, 1837. 



Art. XVI. — Additional Observations on the Shooting Stars of 

 August 9th and 10th, 1837; communicated by Edwabjo C 

 Hebrick. 



Since the last number of this Journal was printed, circumstan- 

 ces have prevented me from making any further search for August 

 meteoric showers. Many more doubtless remain to be discov- 

 ered, but the work of bringing them to light must be left to those 

 who have access to libraries more extensive than this city con- 

 tains. 



In a postscript on p. 364 of the last volume, reference was made 

 to Mr. R. W. Haskins's translation of the Report of M. Arago, 

 (given in the Comptes Rendus,) concerning the meteors seen in 

 August in various parts of Europe. The following is an abstract 

 of that part of the Report which relates to the year 1837. 



" Paris. — M. Arago's eldest son and one of his friends, counted 

 in one hour, beginning llh. 15m. P. M. of August 10, one hun- 

 dred and seven meteors. From Oh. 57m. to 3A. 26m. A. M. of 

 the next morning, (August 11,) MM. Bouvard and Laugier saw 

 one hundred and eighty four meteors. The majority of all these 

 radiated from the constellation Taurus. 



" Chateauroux, France, N. lat. 46° 48', E. long. 1^ 40'. — ^M. de 

 la Tremblais, travelling in an open carriage, from lOh. to lOh. 

 35m. August 9, saw thirty meteors. He noted but a small por- 

 tion of the whole number visible. About lOh. P. M. August 10, 

 he saw five or six meteors in fifteen minutes." 



To the foregoing facts, I am happy to add the following impor- 

 tant document, which was given me by my friend Mr. Samuel 

 St. John, soon after his recent return from Europe. It will be 

 noticed, that the observations which it contains, (made by himself 

 and Dr. Parker,) relate to the night of the 9th of August. As M. 

 Arago makes no mention of any meteoric display at Paris on that 

 night, it may be presumed that the sky there was overcast at the 

 time. 



"While travelUng in Switzerland, in August last, (1837,) in 

 company with Dr. Willard Parker, of Pittsfield, Mass., I had the 

 pleasure of witnessing a remarkable exhibition of shooting stars. 

 The phenomenon excited in us unusual interest, but our situation 

 rendered it impossible to observe with as much accuracy and full- 



