On the Meteor of May 18th, 1838, ^c. 223 



Course of many European storms is in a southeastern direction. 

 A comparison of marine reports has shown me, that while a 

 storm was blowing at W., or W. S. W., in the English channel, 

 it was blowing S. E. at Elsineur ; at N. E. on the east coast of 

 Scotland ; and at N. and N. W. in the Irish channel ; thus exhibi- 

 ting, plainly, a rotation to the left. The great storm of Nov. 29, 

 1836, appeared in the north of Germany after it left the shores of 

 England, and other British storms have also exhibited an easterly 

 progress. But it is on careful investigations, hereafter to be made, 

 that we must rely for a proper development of the system of Eu- 

 ropean storms. 



New York, October 20, 1838. 



Art. II. — Oil the Meteor of May 18th, 1838, and on Shooting 

 /S'tors in geiieral ; by Elias Loomis, Professor of Mathematics 

 and Natural Philosophy in Western Reserve College, Ohio. 



On the evening of May 18th, 1838, a very remarkable meteor 

 was seen throughout most of the northern part of the United 

 States, and a considerable district of Upper Canada. It attracted 

 general attention from its size, brilliancy, train, length of path, 

 and slowness of apparent motion. Observers, almost without 

 exception, pronounced it the most remarkable meteor they ever 

 saw. Having obtained observations at four or five different 

 places, and learned the general phenomena of the meteor, I in- 

 serted a brief notice of it in the Cleveland papers, and concluded 

 with requesting information from any one who observed it. Above 

 twenty letters were received in answer to this invitation ; and as 

 considerable information has been obtained through other chan- 

 nels, the observations are as numerous as could be desired. Their 

 accuracy will be considered hereafter. The result is, that the 

 meteor was noticed throughout all the north of Ohio ; at Detroit 

 and Ann Arbor, in Michigan ; at various places in the State of 

 New York ; at two stations in New Hampshire ; and in various 

 parts of Canada. The evidence that all saw the same meteor is 

 as follows : 1. All saw a meteor at the same instant. Through- 

 out Ohio, the time was that of early candle-lighting. The 

 brightest stars were just becoming visible. In New Hampshire, 

 the time was a little after eight o'clock. The phenomenon, as 



