Nature and Art, January 1, 1867.] 
ABT NOTES FKOM PAEIS. 
27 
ready to take fire,” we carmot admit exaggeration 
in suck an account as that of Humboldt, of the 
shower of 1799, in which it is stated, amongst 
other illustrations, that, “ from the beginning of the 
phenomenon there was not a space in the firma- 
ment equal in extent to three diameters of the 
moon, that was not filled at every instant with 
falling stars.” Again in the year 1833, the meteors 
were compared in numbers to snow-flakes in a 
snow-storm at the thickest part of the shower ; and 
when their numbers had considerably diminished, 
it was reckoned that 34,000 passed over the sky in 
the course of air hour. One observer gave a sketch 
of the appearance of them, of which sketch the 
accompanying cut is a copy. 
Whether the comparative poorness of our shower 
is to be attributed to the thickness of our atmo- 
sphere, shutting out of view the fainter meteors ; 
or whether we did not pass through the thickest 
part of the meteor cloud while the radiant point 
was above our horizon, we cannot say. It has been 
suggested by one authority on this subject, M. 
Coulvier Gravier, that we may expect the real 
maximum of the 33-year epoch in the November of 
the year we are just entering, 1867. Perhaps the 
reader will deem it worth while to “make a note 
of” this in his or her diary. 
The meteors themselves were not so imposing in 
magnitude as some that have shown themselves on 
former occasions. The greater number of them 
were about equal to stars of the first and second 
magnitude ; comparatively few of them attaining a 
brilliancy equal to that of the brighter planets 
Venus and Jupiter. Their colours varied slightly; 
the majority were of a yellowish-white, while some 
bore a bluish and others a reddish tinge. The 
most beautiful of their features were, as usual, the 
luminous trains or streaks that marked their path 
through the air. Some of these trains extended to 
90 degrees in length, and a few of them remained 
visible for several seconds after the extinction of 
the nucleus : they were mostly of a greenish colour, 
and, in one or two cases, after they had disappeared 
a smoky trail remained behind for several minutes 
and then gradually dissipated. These trains have 
been thought to be mere ocular deceptions, arising 
from the retention of the image of the meteor on 
the retina of the eye, upon the same principle as a 
lighted stick quickly waved before the eye gives us 
the impression of a continuous line of light ; but 
this idea is now given up, and it is generally 
assumed that the train is composed of tiny particles 
of the dissipating meteor left behind in its rapid 
course through the air. Even this explanation is, 
however, open to a little doubt. 
But we have passed our allotted limits of length, 
so we must bring our gossip to a close. If Mons. 
Coulvier Gravier’s supposition mentioned above be 
correct, we may have a better shower to talk about 
next November ; if this does not “ come off,” we 
may rest assured that we have seen the last 
meteoric display that is likely to occur for the next 
33 years. The year 1899 will witness the recur- 
rence of the event, and, as this is the season of 
good wishes, we cannot do better than wish every 
one who has perused these columns health to 
see it. 
ART NOTES FROM PARIS. 
By G. W. Yapp. 
TPHE artists of France have just performed an important 
A electoral duty, namely, the choosing- of two-thirds of the 
Admission Jurors for the Fine Art department of the 
Exhibition of 1867. The original arrangement was, that 
one-third should be elected by the Academy of the Beaux- 
Arts, one-third by those artists who had received a first- 
class medal or its equivalent, and the remaining third by the 
Imperial Commission ; but the Academy has not yet forgiven 
the Government for taking from it the management of the 
School of Art and the annual Exhibitions, and positively 
declined to have anything to do with the matter — the 
Academy would be Caesar or nothing ! 
This being the case, the Commission turned over the 
Academy third to the general body of decorated artists and 
medalists, and the result is such, that no one can have any 
just reason to complain. It must be premised that each 
artist voted only for the Jurors in that department in which he 
had gained his own honours, the painters in that of painting 
only, the sculptors in that of sculpture, and so on. The 
number qualified to vote was about four hundred, and those 
who did not find it convenient to attend personally were 
allowed to send sealed voting-papers under cover, with their 
names, to the superintendent of the Beaux-Arts, who is at 
the head of that department of the Exhibition. The number 
of votes recorded were, of painters 147, sculptors 70, 
architects 33, and engravers 25; in all 275, which, making 
due allowance for absentees, cannot be considered a small 
proportion. The number of Jurors to be elected, two-thirda 
of the whole, were, in painting 16, in sculpture 10, in archi- 
tecture, in engraving, and in lithography, 6 each. The 
following names of the painters elected by theirpeers will show 
how this experiment in self-election has succeeded : — Baudry, 
Bida, Breton, Brion, Cabanel, Couture, Framjais, Fromentin, 
Gerome, Gleyre, Hebert, Ingres, Jalabert, Meissonier, Pils, 
and Th. Eousseau. This list includes several members of the 
Academy, all the professors in painting of the Ecole des 
