360 Prof. Forbes's Account of a remarkable Meteor, 



of which they were capable. It was first noticed when bear- 

 ing 8|° W. of magnetic N., and disappeared at 42J° E. of N. ; 

 the altitude was conjecturally stated as between 14° and 18^°, 

 and it appeared to move horizontally, but rather declining 

 towards the N. 



After describing three-fourths of its course, it split into two 

 parts, which went on close together for a little, then broke 

 into four or five, became dull red, and rapidly disappeared; 

 the separate pieces travelling on together until the last. 



Another intelligent observer near St. Andrews, whose evi- 

 dence was taken by Mr. Fischer, first saw the meteor 29f ° W. 

 of magnetic N., and estimated the point where the meteor 

 burst at 44° E. of N; but this last number coincides so closely 

 with Dr. Adamson's estimate of the point of final disappear- 

 ance, that it is perhaps allowable to suppose, that this second 

 observer had mixed up these two events in his description. 

 Dr. Adamson's statement, that one-fourth of the arc which 

 he saw was described after the meteor had split, would give 

 an azimuth at that moment of almost 30° E. of N. magnetic, 

 or 4° E. of N. true, as Mr. Fischer determined the magnetic 

 declination to be about 25° 46'. The altitude of the meteor, 

 as seen by this observer, appears not to have exceeded 15° 

 (the same as at Edinburgh) ; which number we shall therefore 

 adopt. 



At Perth, the passage of the meteor was seen from the 

 North Inch, by a young gentleman of intelligence, whose ob- 

 servations were reduced to numbers by Mr. Miller, Rector of 

 the Perth Academy, who was so good as to accompany him 

 to the spot, and take the angles with a theodolite. Its bear- 

 ing, when first seen, was 46° S. of W. true ; its angular alti- 

 tude was at that time only 3° 30'. This is by far the most 

 southern azimuth which has been observed. Its bearing, 

 when it disappeared, was 6° W. of N., but it was then lost in 

 a cloud. If I understand right, it had by this time separated 

 into fragments. Its apparent altitude in the middle of its 

 course was about 17° 30'. These observations, extending 

 over an arc of 130°, taken along with Professor Kelland's, 

 clearly demonstrate that the meteor appeared with a very low 

 altitude in the S.W. quarter of the heavens, and disappeared 

 in a similar way in the N.N.E., attaining its greatest elevation 

 about W.N.W. (true). 



At Glasgow the meteor was very generally and well seen. 

 Mr. William Gourlie, jun., saw it move from S.W. to N.N.E., 

 over an arc of 60° or 70°, and divide into two, when it bore 

 40° E. of magnetic N. He estimates its greatest elevation at 

 30°; and that it decreased to between 15° and 17° 5 or even 



