116 Biographical Sketch of Prof. Olmsted. 
Prof. Olmsted, however, has from the first been chiefly associ- 
ated in the public mind with this theory of meteors,—partly, 
erhaps, from the greater confidence and fullness of explanation 
with which he propounded it, and partly from his prominent 
position before the public in an important chair of science. The 
theory, indeed, in the precise form in which he originally stated 
it, has never in all its details obtained general currency, and was 
even for a time wholly rejected or regarded with much incredu- 
lity by many distinguished men of science, yet in its leading 
features of cosmical origin lee periodicity he had the satisfac 
tion of seeing it remain unshaken, and receive the approbation 
and support of the leading physicists of the day. A broader 
generalization of facts, especially shone gathered by Mr. E. C. 
Herrick, from the records of meteors in preceding ages, soon 
brought to light Sher annual. peneds: of their return besides that 
of November, particularly those of April, August and December. 
one modification, however, did not affect the main point of the 
thes 
"Te has has est said, indeed, that Prof. Olmsted was anticipated 
in this et by Chladni; and Humbo Idt, who in several pas- 
the Cosmos, speaks s of the researches of Prof. Olmsted 
in Sasplimentery terms, refers to them in one place, not as hav- 
_ ing originated the hy pothesis, but as “a brilliant confirmation of — 
@ cosmical origin of these phenomena,” ascribing to Chladni 
the credit of the theory itself. But besides the fact that, so far 
as appears, the cosmical hypothesis of Chladni pertained espe 
cially to aerolites and their associated fireballs, and did not def- 
nitely include showers of shooting stars, and the further fact, 
that the idea of the cosmical origin of this whole class of meteors 
had been suggested in general terms by many other philosophers 
even including Anaxagoras, we may remark, without claiming 
for Prof. Olmsted the merit of priority, that his conclusions were 
unquestionably original with himself, and ay independent 
f any results of preceding investigation s. Whatever form 1 
respect to its details, the theory may assume in the light of future 
researches, to Prof. ‘Olmsted clearly belongs the merit of having 
discerned and demonstrated its leading truth, and he deserves for 
what he has done, all the credit that has been accorded to him 
by European savans. Humboldt, Biot, Olbers, Encke, and oth- 
ers, adopting substantially the same views, have fully recogni 
his a erits and spoken of his investigations in complimentary 
1 Pol Olmsted gave much attention also to the subject of the 
zodiacal yee ane and in papers published in the Journal of Scienc? 
and in th of 
November me The same idea has received the sanctio? 
: oleae 
e American Association, has endeav 
to establish an han identity between its source and that of the — 
