m
the same source. The position of this radiant point among the stars was
near [Greek: g] Leonis. It remained stationary with respect to the stars
during the whole of the exhibition. Instead of accompanying the earth in
its diurnal motion eastward, it attended the stars in their apparent
movement westward. The source of the meteoric shower was thus
independent of the earth's rotation, and this shows its position to have
been in the regions of space exterior to our atmosphere. According to
the American Professor, Dr. Olmsted, it could not have been less than
2238 miles above the earth's surface.

[Illustration]

The attention of astronomers in Europe, and all over the world, was, as
may be imagined, strongly roused by intelligence of this celestial
display on the western continent; and as the occurrence of a meteoric
shower had now been observed for three years successively, at a
coincident era, it was inferred that a return of this fiery hail-storm
might be expected in succeeding Novembers. Arrangements were therefore
made to watch the heavens on the nights of the 12th and 13th in the
following years at the principal observatories; and though no such
imposing spectacle as that of 1833 has been witnessed, yet extraordinary
flights of shooting stars have been observed in various places at the
periodic time, tending also from a fixed point in the constellation Leo.
They were seen in Europe and America on November 13th, 1834. The
following results of simultaneous observation were obtained by Arago
from different parts of France on the nights of November 12th and 13th,
1830:

Place. Meteors.

Paris, at the Observatory 170
Dieppe 36
Arras 27
Strasburg 85
Von Altimarl 75
Angou 49
Rochefort 23
Havre 300

On November 12th, 1837, at eight o'clock in the evening, the attention
of observers in various parts of Great Britain was directed to a bright,
luminous body, apparently proceeding from the north, which, after making
a rapid descent, in the manner of a rocket, suddenly burst, and
scattering its particles into various beautiful forms, vanished in the
atmosphere. This was succeeded by others all similar to the first, both
in shape and the manner of its ultimate disappearance. The whole display
terminated at ten o'clock, when dark