14 
REPORT— 1847. 
verging series. Such tables, combineil ■with those described in p. 10, sferdlh 
elementary quantities for Jupiter and Saturn in terms of the eccentric snoMljrf 
the comets. 
When the method of mechanical quadratures is applied to the detensiiu^d 
the {wrturbations of comets, a corrtction is required} but when that inetiodBari 
for toe uetertninAtion of cocfficieuta of tbi* the limiu of ib^ intcgnlirtO 
and 3 d 0 *, and the correction vanishes 5 so that by means of several partieolirnlia, 
rigorous values of the coulficieuts are obtaiaod. Nor di>us the width of thtiUsnl 
uMUer, pmvidwl it is not mode too large. It udifficolt to give precLrf fulati 
rejfulate the Width that should be employed; but in the funuation of 
Was cMy to employ various modes of verification. As this inquiry i* iniBiahKJ. 
considered it sufficient to retain only those terms which are doe lothsrflipoc 
otion ; but hereafter it may be desirable to reoonstnici the tables of Ihedns***! 
Ste di' tarb" *" planets* retaining some of the principal ineqoalihoil** 
in his work on comets many years since, gave a list of comets. wRhtha 
j- . *' time, however, the method of finding the orbit, orewali* 
^ ^ comet, was understood bv so few persons, that, from that andott# 
** tjumbers contained in that tnUc may not be accurate; many otherewM® 
, . discovered since, and such a table brought up to the present time tpP*** 
to be an important desideratum in astrouomv. 
Lecture 
- on Shooting StarSy delivei'ed at the jRvening Meeting in the 
t rarg, June 24,1847. Bg the Rev. Professor Powell, M.Ar, F-B.S- 
preliminary remarks and an historical sketch of thefbm 
nrorpMlK..} K, ^ iolerewting but little-understood subject, the If® 
annearim/'M and conjectures connected with the ihtoryofli« 
KSnn the following ia a very condensed abstract, 
foil of mWmW.. tnuch disputed as to the comiexiou of fomwoMS me/«/r»wtiit 
(I) that anm« ®i^P‘^tir8 to thc uuthor to be answered sufficiently byobw^ 
light is necStnrt’r ci»n»ie-xion are imdnulitedly establislied j (2) 
meteor wonld'h/' ^ actual fall of matter, when consequently a 
reSr “ 11" briUmDcy; while the daJkaes-b* 
matter tnav fall in ' >■ poasibilitv of tracing the fall of stonw? f 
eTidencr^^ivi/iod too .mill to trace, andtto 
forms besides iha^t of 1^ matter having a meteoric origin in vanons liih 
aagular or *^nown to have fallen, they are by no meiios 
nmndett in’^TT^ asserted, in many Instances beingvA**^.*" 
•Vhlence of a mass broken into fragmenls ty IkeirfaU. Th^ *! 
purely efec/riV. pieces by an explosion: the detonation he^®*f 
meter* canSt''LTcabvd T evidence exists. Theo^-i”^ 
tliey could, thu would nr, velocity of motiooi ^ 
aud not that of the solid Jn®'' rtarae{if it be due to con.b'J*^ 
combustion, siiU less can "’rioo 
oftbeexUU-nceofSy^olS^^^^^^^^ 
great number circulate in the solar system, but not proh^’ly'®^ 
unformed diffuse Tna««o^ S'M, unless as truly planetary or satelUtary bod'** 
l^l»ly circulatinir in mnn that of comets or the xodiacal rin^ 
probably the existim? ni ^ ^i*^^** of ^pace. It i* bv condeneafion o«t of 
aJK. e^d.:l planets, 30 also lesxer .•,«nrh.. may be« 6 «'“ 
‘•■r crii-culating through ftl*’® ^ypottesis, that is to say. snch masses of dig*; 
aitrartiuii of the nlnw planetary spaces must occasional!? come with 
mere of tSlir they may cither u_^ 
•oMlitee, or again mav h ?*■ sufficiently near to be coD?ert« 
gain may be made to /all directly to l/i earth. lu either m*' 
