M E T 
MET 
io have varied from 55 to 60 miles. In these 
two last particulars it seems to have wonder- 
folly corresponded with seme other pheno- 
mena of the same kind. 
A report was heard some time after the 
[meteor disappeared, and this report was loud- 
test in Lincolnshire and the adjacent parts, 
and again in the eastern parts of Kent: the 
I report we may therefore suppose to be the 
f effect of the two explosions of the body, first 
over Lincolnshire, and afterwards when it 
entered the continent: a Irissing sound was 
[ said also to have accompanied the progress 
I of the meteor. Judging from the height of 
the meteor, its bulk is conjectured to have 
been not less than half a mile in diameter ; 
] and when we consider this bulk, its velocity 
cannot fail to astonish us, which is supposed 
j to be at the rate of more than 40 miles in a 
1 second. 
The other meteor, which appeared on the 
I 4th of October, 1783, at 43 minutes past six 
in the evening, was much smaller than the 
former, and of a much shorter duration, it 
j was first perceived to the northward, as a 
j stream of lire, like the common shooting 
! stars, but large; but presently burst out into- 
| that intensely bright blueish flame, which is 
peculiar to such meteors. It lett behind it a 
j dusky-red streak of tire, and, except this, had 
no tail, but was nearly globular. After mov- 
ing not less than 10 degrees in this bright 
state, it became suddenly extinct without any 
explosion. The height of tiie meteor must 
have been between 40 and 50 miles; and its 
duration was not more than three seconds. 
The doctor is of opinion, that the general 
cause of these phenomena is electricity, which 
opinion lie grounds upon the following cii- 
cumstances: 1st, The velocity of these me- 
! teors, in which they correspond with no other 
body in nature but the electrical fluid. 2dly, 
'J he electrical phenomena attending meteors, 
the lambent flames, and the sparks proceed- 
in' 7 ’ from them, which have sometimes da- 
i jnao-ed ships and houses in the manner of 
lightning ; and, added to these, the hissing 
£oui d, r sembling th. t of electricity passing 
from a conductor. As a third argument in 
favour of this hypothesis, the doctor remarks 
the connection ot meteors with the northern 
lights. Instances are recorded, where north- 
ern lights have been seen to join, and form 
luminous bails, darting about with great velo- 
city, and even leaving a train like fire-nails. 
The aurora borealis appears to occupy as 
high, if not a higher, region above the surface 
f of the earth, as may be concluded from the 
very distant countries to which it^ lias been 
visible at the same time. 4th!}', The most 
remarkable analogy, the doctor thinks, is the 
course of at least all the larger meteors, which 
seems to be constantly from or towards the 
north or north-west quarter of the heavens. 
Of above forty different fire-balls described 
in the Philosophical Transactions, twenty 
are so described, that it is certain their 
course was in that direction: only three or 
four seem to have moved the contrary way ; 
and with respect to the remainder, it is lett 
doubtful, from the imperfect state ot the re- 
lations. 
Notwithstanding the doctor’s ingenious ar- 
: guments, we cannot subscribe to the opinion, 
' that these phenomena are altogether electri- 
; tab 'Die duration of the fire-ball, the un- 
. 
K 
equal consistency of the mass, and several 
other points in the narration, seem to indi- 
cate that its materials were of a less rare and 
evanescent nature than the electric lire. 
The following probably was elect! ical. 
On board the Montague, under the com- 
mand of admiral Chambers, in lat. 42° 4S', 
long. 9° 3', on the 4th of November 1749, 
about ten minutes before twelve, as the au- 
thor, Mr. Chambers, was taking an observa- 
tion, one of the quarter-masters desired he 
would look to the windward. On directing 
his eye that way, he observed a large ball of 
blue lire about three miles distance from 
them. They immediately lowered the top- 
sails, but it came so fast upon them, that be- 
fore they could raise the main-tack, they ob- 
served the ball rise almost perpendicularly, 
and not above 40 or 50 yards from the main- 
chains, when it went off with an explosion as 
great as if hundreds of cannon had been dis- 
charged at the same time, leaving behind it 
a strong sulphureous smell. By this explo- 
sion, the main-topmast was shattered in 
pieces, and the main-mast rent quite down 
to the keel. Five men were knocked down, 
and one of them was greatly bruised, and 
some other damage of less importance was 
done to the ship. Just before the explosion, 
the ball seemed to be of the size of a large 
mill-stone. 
The shooting or falling star is a common 
phenomenon; but though so frequently ob- 
served, the great distance and transient na- 
ture of these meteors have hitherto frustrated 
every attempt to ascertain their cause. The 
connection of these with an active stale of the 
atmospheric electricity, is however ’certain 
from observation; and we have more reason 
to consider them as electric scintilla than as 
solid or fluid matter in the act of combustion. 
They precede a change of wind. 
Concerning the natuiv and composition of 
the ignis fat uus, or W ill-wit h-a-w'isp, there is 
less dispute; the generality ot philosophers 
being agreed, that it is caused by some vola- 
tile vapour of the phosphoric kind, probably 
the phosphorized hydrogen gas. The light 
from putrescent substances, particularly pu- 
-trid fish, afid those sparks emitted from the 
sea, or sea-water when agitated, in the dark, 
correspond in appearance with this meteor. 
Sir Isaac Newton defines the ignis fat uns to 
be “ a vapour shining without heat;’' and it 
is usually visible in damp places, about dung- 
hills, burying-grbunds, and other situations 
which are likely to abound with phosphoric 
matter. 
A remarkable ignis fatuus was observed by 
Mr, Derham, in some boggy ground, be- 
tween two rocky hills. Tie was so fortunate 
as to be able to approach it within two or 
three yards. It moved with a brisk and de- 
sultory motion about a dead thistle, till a 
slight agitation of the air, occasioned, as he 
supposed, by his near approach to it, caused 
it to jump to another place; and as he ap- 
proached. it kept flying before him. He was 
near enough to satisfy himself that it could 
not be the shining of glow-worms or other 
insects : it was one uniform body of light. 
M. Beccana mentions tv, o of these lumi- 
nous appearances, which were frequently ob- 
served in the neighbourhood of Bologna, aqd 
which emitted a light equal to that of an or- 
dinary faggot. Their motions were unequal, 
sometimes rising, and sometimes sinking to- 
il E T 
wards the earth; sometimes totally disap- 
pearing, though in general they continued 
hovering about six teet from the ground. 
They differed in size and figure; and, in- 
deed, the form of each was fluctuating, some- 
times floating like waves, and dropping 
sparks ot lire. He was assured there was 
not a dark night in the whole year in w-hich 
they did not appear; nor was their appear- 
ance at all affected by the weather, whether 
cold or hot, snow or rain. They have been 
known to change their colour lrom red to 
yellow; and generally grew fainter as any 
person approached, vanishing entirely when 
the observer came very near to them, and 
appearing again at some distance. 
Dr. Siravy also- describes a singular ignis 
fatuus, which lie saw in the Holy Land, it 
was sometimes globular, or in the form of 
the flame of a candle; and immediately af- 
teTwards spread itself so much, as to involve 
the whole company in a pale inoffensive light,, 
and then was observed to contract itself 
again, and suddenly disappear. In 1; ss than 
a minute, however, it would become visible, 
as before, and run along from cue piacq to- 
another; or would expand itself over more 
than three acres of the adjacent mountains. 
The atmosphere at this time, he adds, was 
thick and hazy. 
In a superstitious age we cannot wonder 
that these phenomena have all been attri- 
buted to supernatural agency: it is one of 
the noblest purposes of philosophy to release 
the mind from the bondage of imaginary ter- 
rors; and by explaining the modes in which 
the Divine Providence disposes the different 
powers of nature, to elevate our thoughts to 
the One First Cause; to teach us to see 
“God in all, and all in God.” 
METEORIC STONES. Almost all the 
targer fire-balls have been observed to disap- 
pear with a loud explosion ; and it was al- 
most constantly affirmed that heavy stony 
bodies tell from them. But though several 
well-authenticated accounts of the fall of 
such stones had been from time to time pub- 
lished, little credit was given to them; nor 
did they indeed attract the attention of phi- 
losophers, tiil Dr. Cnladni published a dis- 
sertation on the subject in 1794. Two years 
after, Mr. King published a still more com- 
plete collection of examples, both antient’ 
and modern; many of them supported by 
such evidence that it was impossible to re- 
ject it. These two dissertations excited con- 
siderable attention : but the opinion that 
stones had really fallen from the atmosphere - 
was considered as so extraordinary, and so 
contrary to what we know ot the constitution, 
of the air, that most people hesitated, or re- 
fused their assent. Meanwhile Mr. Howard 
took a different method of investigating the 
subject. He not only collected all the re- 
cent and well-authenticated accounts of thq 
fall of stony bodies, and examined the evi- 
dence of their truth, but procured specimens 
of the stones wiiicti were said to have fallen 
in different places, compared them together, . 
and subjected them to a chemical analysis. 
The result was, that ail tlr se stony bodies 
differ completely from every other known 
stone; that they all resemble each other; 
and that they are all composed of the same 
ingredients. His dissertation on the subject', 
was published in the Philosophical Transac- 
tions for 1802. The proofs which this admit 
