C » 6 5 ] 
and apparently of about one third of the diameter 
of the moon at her greateft height ; but its light 
was brighter than that of the planet Venus, and 
in colour refembled the flame of burning cam- 
phire. Near the end of the tail there was a kind 
of waving motion, which with the whole ap- 
pearance, I have endeavoured to reprefent by 
this figure 
In about ten or twelve feconds it feemed to 
burft, dividing into a number of fmall luminous 
bodies, like the flars in a flcy-rocket, which im- 
mediately difappeared. 
As I had formerly obferved explofions from me- 
teors of this kind, I had prefence of mind to pull 
out my watch (which has a fecond hand) to mea- 
fure the exadt time the report fliould take in 
reaching me. I waited for upwards of four mi- 
nutes, which in my ftate of expectation appeared 
a much longer time ; when, despairing of any re- 
port, I rode on, but had not got to the middle of 
the bridge, when I was (tunned by a loud and 
heavy explofion, refembling the difcharge of a 
large mortar, at no great diftance, and followed 
by a kind of rumbling noife, like that of thunder. 
I examined my watch, and found, that the found 
had taken five minutes, and about feven feconds, 
to reach me ; which, according to the common 
computation of 1142 feet in a fecond, amounts to 
the diftance of at lead 66 miles. It did not oc- 
cur to me to meafure the duration of the light, 
Z 3 which 
