PROGRESS OP METEORIC ASTRONOMY IN AMERICA. 277 
found in Siberia by Dr. Pallas, a well-known naturalist. 
About this time several noted meteorites fell in Europe, and 
in 1802 Edward Howard published in the Philosophical 
Transactions a paper entitled “ Experiments and observa¬ 
tions on certain stony substances which at different times 
are said to have fallen on the earth.” This paper contains, 
probably, the account of the first chemical analysis of a 
meteorite ever made. 
Nearly all the publications referring to meteors, both in 
Europe and America, up to the year 1883 were confined to 
vague theories and brief speculations with regard to their 
origin. 
The very important meteoric shower on the morning of 
April 20, 1803, was the first well-defined phenomenon of that 
class in this country of which there seems to be any record. 
There is no evidence that it was well observed except at 
Portsmouth, N. H., and at Richmond, Va., and no recurrence 
of this shower of any notable magnitude has since been ob¬ 
served. Graphic accounts of this phenomenon were printed 
in “ The New Hampshire Gazette,” of Portsmouth, N. IT., 
May 31, 1803, and in “ The Virginia Gazette and General 
Advertiser,” of Richmond, Va., May 23, 1803, but appar¬ 
ently no scientific interest or discussion was developed. 
The wonderful display of meteors on the morning of No¬ 
vember 14, 1833, which was seen throughout the Atlantic 
coast of the United States, gave a decided impulse to the 
study of the subject and suddenly brought the principal 
American observers into prominence. 
The serious study of meteoric phenomena in America 
may be said to date from this epoch. 
The earliest studies immediately developed theories, more 
or less fantastic, to account for the varied but startling dis¬ 
play in the heavens. 
The first theories, derived from only a few facts, naturally 
presented the greatest range of speculation. 
As phenomena multiplied, the limits of speculation were 
