62 
SHOOTING-STARS, 
Shooting-: 
appeal’ i 11 
cloudy a's 
as clear 
weather. 
meteors) that the heigh th and distance of such appearances is 
not so accurately appreciable, as to warrant a positive conclusion 
in this respect. The difference in the- deductions of very 
eminent philosophers is, indeed, very remarkable. Mr. 
Cavendish estimates the height of the aurora at or under 71 
miles*. Mr. Dalton and Mr, Crosth waite at 150 milcsf. 
' Euler, Mahan, &c. at vaiiotis heights, extending in some 
instances to 300 leagues J. 
The conclusion of Mr Farcy's fourth paragraph, page 299, 
appears to represent electricity as an hypothetical principle, once 
employed in explanation of natural phenomena from “fashion" 
only. This requires no comment. 
•tars I repeat that what Mr. Farey calls “ shooting-stars,” have 
well, heen frequently observed in cloudy as well as clear weather, and 
in the presence of considerable extraneous light, (even during 
the illumination of the atmosphere by the aurora) and I know 
not how the observations or assertions of an individual, or two, 
unsupported by concurrent testimony, can be said to decided- 
ly prove” any thing. 
In paragraph / I arm represented as mistaken in con- 
ceiving Mr. F. to have asserted, that the larger class of meteors 
are not sometimes visible on moon-light nights, &c. Mr. F.’s 
statement of his hypothesis would have warranted such an 
assertion, but I did not make it ; on reference to my paper 
(Journal, Vol. XXXIII, page 34 .) it will be found I expressly 
state smaller meteors” (shooting stars.) 
As the small .t meteors- move with “ immeasurable velocity 
and Mr. F. has represented them as satellitulae, I have stated 
that if iv e admit his hypothesis , we must admit that planetary 
(or satelliric) bodies may move with “ immeasurable velocity ,” 
and become luminous only when they dip into our atmosphere. 
An inspection of the eighth paragraph in Mr. Farey ’s rejoinder, 
(Journal; Vol .XXXIV, page 299.) will show hiacurious distor- 
tion of this statement. 
If Mr. Howard, or Mr. Forster, concur with, or dissent 
from my statement, I know not ; but in the last number of Mr* 
Tilloeh’s Philosophical Magazine, it may be seen that Mr. 
* Phil. Trans, for 1790. 
f Dalton’s Meteorological Essays. 
$ Merjioircsde Berlin, see also Rertholon des Mcteores, tom. ii.p. 65. 
Forster 
