276 
. EASTMAN. 
Page. 
Authors: 
Prof. A. W. Wright__ 292 
Prof. IT. A. Newton_ 292 
Prof. IT. A. Newton__ 297 
Examination of Theories_ 298 
Meteors __!__ 298 
Comets_ 800 
Comets and Meteors___302 
Lockyer’s Theories__ 305 
Huggins on the Spectra of the Aurora and of Nebulae_310 
Liveing and Dewar on the Spectra of Nebulae and of Magnesium. 310 
Conclusions___ 311 
Observations of Meteors_ _ 312 
Catalogues_ 313 
I. Observed Meteorites_ 316 
II. Discovered Meteorites, date of discovery given_ 318 
III. Discovery of Meteorites, date of discovery unknown_322 
IY. Meteor Showers___324 
Y. Sporadic Meteors_ 336 
Introduction. 
The progress of Meteoric Astronomy through its succes¬ 
sive stages of development has been so peculiar in America, 
especially in the United States, that, unlike almost all the 
other branches of Astronomy and Physics, its advance may 
be thoroughly discussed with very little reference to the im¬ 
portant growth which it has made in Europe. 
From the nature of the phenomena it is evident that the 
ajiparition and fall of meteors must have compelled the at¬ 
tention of mankind through all ages, but the earliest records 
are at least obscure. While there may be some claim to 
authenticity in the early allusions to what was apparently 
meteoric phenomena, there seem to be no trustworthy obser¬ 
vations until about 600 B. C. 
From that time the falls of a great number of meteors and 
meteorites were recorded with more or less accuracy and 
detail, but no special attention was attracted to the observa¬ 
tion and study of such phenomena until the publication of 
a paper in 1794, by Chladni, on a mass of meteoric iron 
