76 



igneous meteors are in general more common 

 and luminous in some regions of the globe than 

 in others ; I have never beheld them so multi- 

 plied as in the vicinity of the volcanoes of the 

 province of Quito, and in the part of the Pacific 

 Ocean which bathes the volcanic coasts of Gua- 

 timala. The influence, which place, climate, 

 and seasons appear to have on the falling 

 stars, distinguishes this class of meteors from 

 those which give birth to stones that fall from 

 the sky (aerolites), and which probably exist be- 

 yond the boundaries of our atmosphere. Accord- 

 ing to the corresponding observations of Messrs. 

 Benzenberg and Brandes % many of the falling 

 stars seen in Europe were only thirty thousand 

 toises high. One was even measured which did 

 not exceed fourteen thousand toises, or five 

 leagues. These measures, which can give no 

 result but by approximation, deserve well to 

 be repeated. In warm climates, especially un- 

 der the tropics, the falling stars leave a tail be- 

 hind them, which remains luminous 12 or 15 

 seconds : at other times they seem to burst into 

 sparks, and they are generally lower than those 

 in the north of Europe. We perceive them only 

 in a serene and azure sky ; they have perhaps 

 never been seen below a cloud. Falling stars 

 often follow the same direction for several hours, 



* Gilbert. Annalcn de Pliysik, th. xii, p. 368 



