[ 2 54 ] 
and therefore, to be clear in this circumstance, I 
wrote to the doctor, defiring to be informed, whether 
he meant to fay, as I understood him, that the courfe 
of the body was from fome point a little northward of 
the weft, to Jome point a little fouthward of the eaft ; 
or otherwife. To which letter Dr. Mackenzie obliged 
me withthis anfwer. “ Altho’ I regret my being out 
“ of the way of anfwering your letter in courfe of 
“ the port, yet, by that abfence, I have it now more 
££ in my power to be exadt with regard to fome of 
££ your queries, as I am juft returned from Flower- 
“ dale ; where, in confequence of the firft letter on 
t£ the fubjedt of the meteor, I obferved narrowly the 
“ fituation of the mountains over which it paffed ; 
u in order that I might corredt my account of its 
££ courfe, if I had miftaken it before. But, after 
££ that furvey, I found my former defcription ex- 
“ adt to a tittle, and your interpretation of my words, 
viz. from the weft northerly to the eaft foutberly , to 
“ be precifely what I meant: they may not be terms 
“ of art, but exprefs the true progrefs of that body 
<£ when I faw it ; notwithftanding that I obferve, by 
£C your informations from the fouth of Scotland, and 
xi from' Carliile, its direction was almoft diredtly op- 
££ pofite. What I meant by its. vertical height was, 
<£ that its declination, if any, was extremely fmall 
“ from the zenith, but thatoiortherly. Tho’ I con- 
t£ tinued to gaze for about a quarter of an hour after 
££ it difappeared, I was fenfible of no found, neither 
£ ‘ like that of thunder nor a cannon: yet fuch might 
“ have been in a lefier degree without my hearing it} 
££ as the noife of the fea that night was remarkably 
« £ louder, than at any other time, during the whole 
“ month 
