On the Meteors of 13th November, 1833. 347 
First.—If the meteors were generated under the control of ter- 
restrial inflaences—whether atmospherve, electrical, magnetic, or even 
unknown and merely zmaginable—it would seem to be a necessary 
result that the bodies so generated should conform, in arrangement 
or motion, to geodesic lines. For example, had the meteors been 
formed in the upper regions of the atmosphere, and drawn to the 
earth by gravity, the line of descent ought to have exhibited a change, 
at different points of observation, corresponding with the change in 
the place of the zenith :—no such change, however, was observed. 
We are aware that Prof. Olmsted, in his third proposition (p. 147) 
has assigned the force of gravity, as ‘an adequate cause” of the me- 
teoric motions; but, besides the total independence of the vertical 
which those motions exhibited, we think it has been shown that the 
amount of motion was twice as great, at least, as that which terres- 
trial gravity is adequate to create. Again, had the meteors been 
generated, or set in motion, by the cause, whatever it be, of the 
north-lights, or the auroral arch, or of terrestrial magnetism, we should 
certainly look for a regular coincidence with the magnetic dip and 
variation :—but the reverse of such a coincidence do we find.* And 
in like manner the supposition of any terrestrial origin seems to be 
cut off and made untenable by the same circumstances, in the ob- 
served motions of the meteors, by which a similar supposition is 
made untenable in the case of gravity and magnetism. It must, 
however, be admitted that the change of declination, in a fixed ratio 
to the change of the spectator’s latitude, which there is reason to be- 
lieve existed, may chance to turn the point of this argument against 
us; unless that change shall appear to have been a result of the po- 
sition of the earth’s axis relatively to the plane of the meteors’ prop- 
er motion—in case such motion existed. 
But when we consider that the meteors were actually seen by 
many individuals to manifest an independence of the earth’s rotation, 
for two hours and a half—if we compute from the earliest observa- 
tion in the east, and the atest in the west—and for still an hour more, 
if we compute from Capt. Parker’s observation in the Gulf of Mex- 
* It may be observed, in passing, that ascientific gentleman of our acquaintance 
observed, both during the meteoric shower, and through the day succeeding, a mag- 
netic needle which was very delicately suspended by a film of silk, without detecting 
any change of variation or of dip, or any of those agitations which the needle is subject 
to, during the prevalence of auroral lights. This observation was made upon the 
banks of the Hudson river, fifty miles above New York. 
Vou. XXVI.—No. 2. 45 
