Miscellanies. 399 



1. Red Snow near Boston in 1688. " Moreover it is credibly affirm- 

 ed that in the Winter of the Year 1688, there fell a Red Snow, which 

 lay like Blood on a spot of Ground, not many miles from Boston ; but 

 the Dissolution of it by a Thaw, which within a few hours melted it, 

 made it not capable of lying under the contemplation of so many Wit- 

 nesses as it might have been worthy of. The Bloody Shower that went 

 before the suffering of the ancient Britains from the Picts, (a sort of 

 People that painted themselves like our Indians,) this Prodigy seemed 

 a second Edition of." 



2. Explosion of a meteor near Boston, Oct. 1, 0. S. 1689. " And 

 in the opinion of the most Critical Observers, throughout the Countrey, 

 they were prodigious, or at least Uncommon Sights and Sounds, which 

 on the first of October in the Year 1689, We were entertained withal, 

 and not unlike those which Pliny mentions as presages to the Cimhric 

 Wars of old. For on that Day, in the Morning, while the Sky was too 

 clear, to give us a suspicion of any thing like Thunder approaching, 

 there suddenly Blazed a Flame, in the fashion of a Sword; which 

 Blaze after a continuance, far longer than that of an ordinary Light- 

 ning, expired in a smoke that gave Terror unto the Beholders of it. 

 But hereunto succeeded immediately very terrible and Repeated Noi- 

 ses, exactly like Volleys of small Shot, not without Reports like those 

 of Great Chins superadded thereunto. This was a SccBne which all 

 the Colonies of this large Countrey and Thousands of People, at once 

 were Spectators of, carrying in it, something, beyond the knoxon Laws 

 which ordinary Meteors are Conform'd unto. And herein was indeed 

 One Circumstance, that gave Demonstration of something Rare and 

 Great in this Occurrent ; That persons which were Distant from one 

 another many scores of Miles above an Hundred, yet at the same Time, 

 both Saw and Heard the whole of what is now related ; and though I 

 know, the Fancies of men applying themselves unto what is in the 

 Clouds, are Fruitful even to a Ridicule ; strong imagination being able 

 to find, even a Juno in them, and all that can be any where imagined ; 

 the Shapes of Clouds, like the Clinks of Bells, humoring the Thoughts 

 of any one ; yet in This Accident, no small numbers of Gentlemen, 

 who do not use to be imposed upon, but count no Trial severe enough 

 to examine Things of this Nature with, were so surprised as with one 

 mouth to say. The Finger of God was here ! But with Him are left 

 the Events of all. And in the mean time we are not ignorant, that 



' Nunquam Futilibus Excanduit Ignibus iEther.' " 



6. Meteor of November \Oth, 1841. — This meteor was observed in 

 Boston and vicinity, by Mr. W. C. Bond and by his son ; and also at 

 New Haven, Conn., about 8 P. M., Nov. 10th, 1841. At Boston, the 



