228 Meteors seen in India. 



no report was heard. Dr. 'W. judged the time from its first 

 appearance till the ball went out of his view, to be two and a 

 half seconds, and till the tail had wholly vanished, four se- 

 conds. 



These observations lead to a conclusion that it must have 

 passed over a line very far to the north of this place. 



The impression on the mind of Dr. W. at the time, was, 

 that its course was nearly northwest; but of course nothing 

 can be known on this point save with the aid of other observa- 

 tions, to which this notice may be auxiliary. — Silliman's Journ. 



METEORS SEEN IN INDIA. 



Colonel Blacker has given the Asiatic Society an account of 

 a singular meteor, having the appearance of an elongated ball 

 of fire, which he observed on the 3d of November, a little after 

 sunset, when on the road between the Court-house and the 

 Town-hall. Its colour was pale, for the daylight was still strong, 

 and its larger diameter appeared greater, and its smaller less, 

 than the semi-diameter of the moon. Its direction was from 

 east to west, its track nearly horizontal, and altitude about 

 thirty degrees. Colonel B. regrets not having heard of any 

 other observation of this phenomenon at a greater distance, 

 whereby he might have estimated its absolute height. As, 

 however, it did not apparently move with the velocity of or- 

 dinary meteors, it was probably at a great distance, and con- 

 sequently of great size. So long as Colonel Blacker beheld 

 it, which was for five or six seconds, its motion was steady, 

 its light equable, and its size and figure permanent. It latterly, 

 however, left a train of sparks, soon after which it disappeared 

 suddenly, without the attendant circumstance of any report 

 audible in Colonel Blacker's situation. — Colonel Blacker con- 

 cludes his paper with some interesting observations on lu- 

 minous meteors, and considers them of perpetual occurrence, 

 although daylight, clouds, and misty weather, so often exclude 

 them from our view. Of their number no conception can be 

 formed by the unassisted eye, but some conjecture may be 

 formed of their extent from the fact mentioned by our author, 

 that in using his astronomical telescope he has often seen what 

 are called falling stars, shooting through the field of view, 

 when they were not visible to the naked eye ; and when it is 

 considered that the glass only embraced one-twenty-five-thou- 

 sandth part of the celestial hemisphere, it will be apparent 

 that these phaenomena must be infinitely numerous, in order to 

 occur so frequently in so small a space.— Calcutta Gov. Gaz. 



FLUIDITY 



