1838.] M. Quetelet on the Meteoric Shoivers of Nov, 1836. 175 



he had produced in support of this fact, quoted amongst other numhers 

 as being extraordinary, that of 170 shooting stars which the students 

 of astronomy in the observatory of Paris entrusted by him M'ith mak- 

 ing observations, had counted during the night of the I3th of Novem- 

 ber. For appreciating this number, however, and establishing a com- 

 parison, facts were wanting, that is to say, the knowledge of the mean 

 number of those meteors which may be observed in a night at any 

 other season of the year. For the purpose of determining this num- 

 ber, M. Quetelet entered upon some investigations relative both to 

 his former observations on shooting stars, and to those of other per- 

 -sons, and he arrived at this result, that the number of shooting stars 

 which are observed, on an average, in an hour, looking constantly 

 towards the same quarter of the heavens, is about eight, and that seve- 

 ral observers, placed so as to observe the different regions of the 

 heavens, may count double the number. Accordingly, the number of 

 170 shooting stars observed at Paris by several persons on the night of 

 the 12th of November would not be at all astonishing ; on the con- 

 trary, it would come very near to the average number of these meteors 

 which may be observed on a winter's night. 



This result of the inquiries of M. Quetelet is important enough for 

 us to give it, supported by all the documents which establish it. 



M. Quetelet, before making known the observations w4iich he re- 

 corded in 1824, with several other persons, remarks, that in making 

 these observations his object was not to record the number of shooting 

 stars which may be counted in a given time, but merely to bring to- 

 gether the elements necessary for calculating the height, the velocity, 

 and all that has relation to the path of these meteors ; it follows, 

 therefore, that the results which they furnish ought to be considered 

 as an under estimate, since many stars were not recorded, because 

 the elements which should have served for their calculation were not 

 sufficiently exact. The same remark must also be applied to the ob- 

 servations made by Benzenberg and Brandes in 1798, the results of 

 which will be given, as well as those made by this last philosopher in 

 1823, the results of which will also be given. 



The observations by Benzeuberg and Brandes in 1 798, were made in 

 the environs of Goettingen. These two philosophers were at first 

 alone, and placed at a distance of 27,050 French feet apart. But after 

 three series of observations they felt the necessity of being further 

 apart, and they placed themselves at the extremities of a base of 

 46,200 feet, and this time each of them took an assistant to note down 



