C 8 3 
beyond Cape Cod ; fouth, at Martha’s Vineyard and 
Rhode Itland j and weft, at Providence and Men- 
tion j filling a circle of about 8o miles in diameter, 
the center of which was at Bridgewater, or near it. 
The meteor, which produced thefe noifes, was 
not feen near the center of this circle, but only near 
the circumference. The inoft diftinft account I have 
had of it, was from a creditable perfon at Roxbury, 
a town adjoining on Bofton, who informed me, that, 
about ten o’clock that morning, he faw in the air a 
ball of fire, about 4 or 5 inches in diameter, draw- 
ing a train of light after it. The ball was of a white 
brightnefs, exceeding, in his opinion, that of the 
fun. Though the fun then ftione out clear, this 
fire-ball was bright enough to caft a lhade, by which 
he firft perceived it in the fouth-eaft, palling below 
the fun. For he was ftanding with his back toward 
that and the fun j but this fhade put him upon turn- 
ing round, to difcover what might be the caufe of it. 
He fays, the ball moved parallel to the horizon from 
the north-eaft toward the fouth-weft, not above half 
fo faft as (hooting ftars generally do, and difappeared 
while he was looking on it ; and that about 4 or 5' 
after, he heard a kind of rumbling noife, fomewhaf 
like that of an earthquake j which was alfo heard 
by many others in Roxbury. 
From a veflel about a league fouth-weft from Cape 
Cod, and from Martha’s Vineyard, we have received 
like accounts of a bright ball in the heavens, fuf- 
ficient to afcertain the reality of the meteor, but not 
to determine its bight and courfe. Near the center 
of the fore-mentioned circle, the meteor muft have 
pafled too near the fun to be vifible. 
The 
