of the Cold Bokkeveld Meteorite. 143 



made to the Society by Mr. Maclear*, contains reports, supported by 

 affidavits, of the circumstances attending the fall of a meteoric mass 

 in a valley near the Cape of Good Hope. The attention of the wit- 

 nesses had been excited by a loud explosion which took place in 

 the air, previous to the descent of the aerolite, and which was at- 

 tended by a blue stream of smoke, extending from north to west. 

 Some of the fragments which had been seen to fall, and which had 

 penetrated into the earth, were picked up by the witnesses. One 

 of them falling on grass caused it to smoke ; and was too hot to ad- 

 mit of being touched. The mass which was sent to England by 

 H.M.S. Scout, weighed, when first picked up, four pounds. The 

 paper is accompanied by a map of the district, showing the course 

 of the aerolite. 



A paper was also read, entitled, " An account of the Shooting 

 Stars of 1095 and 1243 ;" by Sir Francis Palgrave, K.H., F.R.S., &c. 



The author gives citations from several chronicles of the middle 

 ages, descriptive of the remarkable appearance of shooting stars which 

 occurred on the 4th of April, 1095, on the testimony of independent 

 witnesses both in France and England. One of them describes them 

 as " falling like a shower of rain from heaven upon the earth :" and in 

 another case, a bystander, having noted the spot where the aerolite 

 fell, " cast water upon it, which was raised in steam, with a great 

 noise of boiling." The Chronicle of Rheims describes the appear- 

 ance as if all the stars in heaven were driven, like dust, before the 

 wind. A distinct account of the shooting stars of July 26th, 1293, 

 is given by Matthew Paris. 



March 12. — A paper was read, entitled, " On certain variations 

 of the mean height of the Barometer, mean temperature and depth 

 of Rain, connected with the Lunar Phases, in the cycle of years 

 from 1815 to 1823." By Luke Howard, Esq., F.R.S. 



The table given in this paper contains the results of calculations 

 relating to the objects specified in the title ; cast into periods of six, 

 seven, or eight days, so as to bring the day of the lunar phase be- 

 longing to it in the middle of the time. The observations were all 

 made in the neighbourhood of London. It appears from them that in 

 the period of the last quarter of the moon the barometer is highest, 

 the temperature a little above the mean, and the depth of rain the 

 smallest. In the period of the new moon, both the barometer and 

 temperature are considerably depressed, and the rain increased in 

 quantity. The influence of the first quarter shows itself by the 

 further depression of the barometer ; but the temperature rises 

 almost to the point from which it had fallen, and the rain still in- 

 creases, but not in an equal ratio. Lastly, the full moon again re- 

 duces the temperature ; while the barometer attains its maximum 

 mean height, and the quantity of rain is the greatest. Thus it ap- 

 pears, that during this lunar cycle, the approach of the last quarter 

 is the signal for the clearing up of the air, and the return of sun- 

 shine. 



[* See L. and E. Phil. Mag., vol. xiv. p. 368, for an abstract of Mr. 

 Maclear's former paper.] 



:, 



