70 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



Saturday last. This is the only notice I have observed of it. On 

 Saturday last (the 7th February), a little after 6 p.m., I saw a meteor, 

 the body of which was intensely white, and it emitted red sparks, not 

 like a stream of light from fireworks, but red sparks at intervals of half 

 a second or so, but irregular. Other two individuals I know saw it 

 about six miles west of Edinburgh. To them it appeared to fall about 

 Ravelrigg Hill. To me it appeared to fall between Curriehill House 

 and Newmilns. T was about a mile distant from the other two who saw 

 it. It appeared flying from north-west to south-east, and describing a 

 curve that must inevitably have brought it to the earth's surface in a few 

 seconds, although it was 150 miles distant, which it probably was. It 

 must have come in contact with our globe to the south or east of Edin- 

 burgh, and I can hardly think that it is the same meteor seen south of 

 London, unless it was seen there to the north only.— I am," &c. 



" An Observer." 



Scotsman oflGth February 18G3. 



The following week seems also to have been distinguished 

 by the appearance of a meteor, which was observed passing 

 over Edinburgh, in a different direction, however, to the one 

 previously referred to. One of our members, my friend Mr 

 P. A. Dassauville, writes me, that when returning home 

 along Abercromby Place, towards the west, on the evening of 

 Friday the 13th February, about 11.30 p.m., or a quarter to 

 12 p.m., he was astonished by the appearance of what seemed 

 to be a ball of lire, which rose over the south end of Wemyss 

 Place, and crossed the open space of the Queen Street Gardens 

 diagonally from the south-west, travelling steadily in an 

 apparently almost horizontal line, to the north-east, and dis- 

 appearing from his view in that direction, over the houses of 

 Abercromby Place. In its passage overhead, he observed it 

 had a tail of considerable apparent length, which was of the 

 same red or flame colour as the body of the meteor ; and its 

 elevation did not appear to be very great. His first impression 

 was, that it might be some firework, but he soon observed 

 it was too high in the air to have been sent off in its appa- 

 rently horizontal course ; and there was also this difference 

 from a firework, that the body did not leave a trail of light 

 behind it, but the whole seemed to travel together, at a 

 regular speed, towards the north-east. The night was clear 

 and calm, and no sound was heard to accompany its passage 

 overhead ; the direction of the wind was not observed, 

 although he believed it must have been westerly. 



