[ 249 ] 
XXV. In January after, I faw here one Mr. Cairns 
(a young man then appointed furgeon’s mate to one of 
the regiments at Gibraltar), who told me, cc That 
<c he had feen the meteor, of the 26th of November, 
tc about 9 o’clock at night; that he was then in the 
<c fhop of Mr. Oliphant, furgeon-apothecary at Cul- 
u rofs (a town about 19 miles W. N. W. of Edin- 
u burgh) ; that Mr. Oliphant and he were furprifed 
<{ by a fudden glare of light from the ftreet, coming, 
tc as it were, in fuccefiive flafhes, but without any 
ec intervals of darknefs; that they both ran out, and. 
u obferved a ball of fire moving, with great velocity, 
tc in a direction nearly from the fouth-eaft to the 
£t north-weft ; that its height feemed to be confider- 
<c able ; but that they had not feen it to the laft, by 
“ reafon of fome houfes on the north fide of the 
<c ftreet, which flood in their way; that it was fome- 
tc what of a lefs fize than that of the full moon, when 
“ about the fame height above the horizon ; and of 
<c an oval figure, with the longeft diameter in the 
ee courfe of its direction. He obferved no tail, nor 
“ fparks of fire ifluing from it; but faid, that fome 
£C people of the town had taken notice of the latter; 
<c that the meteor itfelf was of a reddifh fiery colour, 
<c though the reflection of the light from the ftreets 
cc was of a yellowifh caft ; that he heard no explofion 
“ himfelf, and had met with none who pretended to 
been about two miles ; which is the length refulting from the obfer- 
vation made at Dublin, as will afterwards appear. JBut, in fuch 
cafes, the moft moderate computations are moft likely to be true ; 
fo natural is it for the imagination to magnify all objects that 
alarm it. 
Vol. LI. 
Kk 
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