Miscellanies. 383 



year or two afterwards. Accordingly, it is believed, that such a re- 

 currence actually took place, — that is, that there was seen at vari- 

 ous places, in different parts of the earth, on that morning, an extra- 

 ordinary fall of meteors. Professor Bache has, indeed, labored to 

 show, that the facts are insufficient to establish the identity of the 

 phenomenon of 1834 with that of 1833 ; but he must admit an extra- 

 ordinary occurrence of meteors on that morning ; so that the ques- 

 tion will seem to turn on this point, whetiier a smaller meteoric 

 shower is any shower at all. 



How far the morning of Nov. 13, 1835, was distinguished by 

 any similar occurrence, in any part of the earth, it is too early yet 

 to determine. Nothing uncommon was observed at New Haven, 

 but I have testimony from the most respectable sources, that an unu- 

 sual number of meteors, or shooting stars, was observed on the 

 morning of the 14th of November, at several places in the United 

 States, particularly in the central parts of the state of New York, 

 and in the western parts of Maryland and North Carolina. The 

 prescribed limits of this article, will not permit me to give the state- 

 ments in detail. 



Finally, I do not consider it a valid objection against the explana- 

 tion proposed for the great meteoric showers, that have been several 

 times repeated on or about the 13th of November, that it does not 

 satisfactorily account for the ordinary single shooting stars. To ren- 

 der this objection good, it must be shown, that the occurrence of 

 such shooting stars, is incompatible with the cause assigned for the 

 showers, and that they depend on causes totally different. Until 

 this is shown, we may for the present leave them to themselves. 



24. Ohsjervations upon the facts recently presented, by Prof. 

 Olmsted, in relation to the meteors^ seen on the 13th of Nov. 1834 ; 

 by A. D. Bache, Prof, of Nat. Phil, and Chem., Univ. Penn. 



Before proceeding to examine the new facts recently put forth by 

 my friend. Prof. Olmsted, in regard to meteors seen on the 12th, 

 and 13th of Nov. 1834, it will be well to state what is the differ- 

 ence of opinion between us. 



I understand Prof. Olmsted to assert, that there was a recurrence 

 of the meteoric display of Nov. 13th, 1833, in 1834 ; thus verifyino- 

 a prediction made by him as a consequence of his peculiar theory. 

 With that theory, further than as it is borne upon by facts in reo-ard 

 to the prediction founded upon it, I have not at present any con- 



