The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-28 00:00:00

NOVEMBER METEORS SEEN IN CANADA.

TO THI HDITOR OP TIM 111P1288.

Sin,—From a letter I have jest received from Mr.
G. T. Kingston, director of the Observatory of Toronto,
I learn that on the night common to the 13th and 14th of
November the sky was nearly overcoat till 1 am. ; that
about 20 meteors were seen between midnight and 1 am. ;
that at 110 am. systernatio oonnting was commenced
from the top of the tower of the Observatory by four
observers, working simultaneously. The observers were
graduates and students of the Univentity College, Toronto,
a imp number of whom remained in the building through-
out the night, relieving each other from time to time till
6 am. The bright moonlight throughout the night and
the clouded state of the sky before 1 am. greatly inter-
fend with the displ►y. But for these causes
the numbers would probably have been doubled.
Nearly all the meteors proceeded in such directions that
' when produced backwards passed through the modelle-
' tion Leo ; only about 2 per cent. being not conformable to
that course. Many of them in spite of the moonlight were
very brilliant; but there were no audible explosions. The
numbers observed were as follows :
From midnight to lh. am. was
From lh. a.m. to 2h. am. was
From 2b. am, to 311. am. was 123
From 3h. ant. to 41%. a.m. was 560
From 4h. a.m. to sh. a.m. was
From sh. am. to 6h. am, was 195
giving a total of 2,287.

Therefore the shower el meteors has returned with great
brilliancy at the time oak:dated. The longitude of To-
ronto being more than 5 hours, the time of maximum dis-
play would correspond to about 9 a.m. Greenwich mean
time.—l am, &c., JA91.193 GLLJSILEE.
Blackheath, Nov. 27.

THE METEORS AS SEEN IN THE UNITED
STATES.

The meteoric display of the 13th was very gene-
rally witneard throughout the United Stator. Observers
in Delaware report having seen several thousand, and
Professor Watson, of the Michigan University, reports
that he counted them at the rate of 1,500 an hour. The
greatest number were visible about 4 o'clock in the morn-
ing. The following report of the observations made at the
Navy Observatory is Washington, bas been made to the
Secretary of the Navy:
. ' United States Naval Observatory,
Washington, Thursday, Nov. 14.
" Sir,—l have the honour to submit the following
preliminary report of the meteoric shower of this morn.
tog •.—The display of meteors was the most brilliant seen
in this country since the great shower of 1833. In
accordance with the request of Professor H. A. Newton,
observations in the northern heavens for parallax were
made between the boars of 11 and 2 o'clock. Very few
were seen, however, till 1 o'clock. The observations were
made, and the track of the meteors drawn upon the map
by Messrs. Wain, Lindenkeb, Timbrook, and Pitman, a
party of assistants of the United States Coast Survey,
who kindly volunteered their services. Forty-six
meteor trucks were mapped down by the United
States Coast Survey. Observations in conjunction
with Professor Harkness, of the Observatory at Rich-
mond, for parallax, were commenced shortly after 3
o'clock by the United States observatory party, consist-
ing of Messrs. Newcomb, Hartman, Harmon, Doolittle,
and Gardiner. Arrangements had been made by the
courtesy of the manager of the American Telegraph Corn.
psny to exchange telegrsphie signals with Professor Hark.
ness on the appearance of each meteor ; but through some
disarrangement of the wires communication could not be
established. One hundred and twenty-five meteors' tracks
were mapped down before 4.30 o'clock when the meteors
flew au thick that identification of those seen from the two
stations here became hopeless, and simple counting
resorted to. One thousand meteors were counted in the
21 minutes between 4.14 and 4.35 o'clock. Afterward
Successive hundreds were counted in the following inter-
vale :-4 min., 5 min. 30 sec., 5 min. 35 sec., 5 min. 44 sec.
2 min. 3 sec., 9 min. 37 sec. 10 min. 31 sec. 18 min:
20 sec. The first thousand being partly counted while
mapping was still going on, it Is probable that one-half
were not seen, so that it may be estimated that 2,000
really fell in the course of 21 minutes. The time of the maxi-
mum thickness of the shower was 4 hours 25 min. This is
two hours later than that given by the European observa-
tions of last year, showing a slight change in the position
of the stream. The radiant point was very well defined
being in right ascension, 10 hours 1 min. declination 22
deg. 30 sec. Next year the shower, if there be soy, will
not begin until 10 a.m., Washington time, and therefore
will be seen only in the Pacific Ocean. Many were
remarkable for their brilliancy and fora brilliant train
which usually vanished in a few seconds, but in one or two
cases lasted several minutes. The most brilliant and
thickest display came from the direction of Leo, which was
about 60 deg. above the horizon ; and some from Canis
Minor and from Coma Bernie°. The course of the meteors
was principally north and east, though there were scatter-
ing ones from other directions.-1 have the honour to be
your obedient servant,
(Signed) "B. F. SA/1108, Osumi. Superintendent.
" Hon. Gideon Weller, &watery of War."

At the sitting yesterday of the Associated Cham-
bers of Commerce in London an interesting and important
discussion took place on the subject of the extension of
primary and technical education, resolutions relating to it
having been prepared by the Leeds, Huddersfield, Kendal,
Nottingham, and other chambers. Mr. Porter, M.P.,
Mr. Baines, M.P., Mr. Dixon, M.P., Mr. D. Lupton, Mr.
Behrens, Mr. L. I. Bell, Mr. Ripley, and other gentle-
-1 men took part in the debate, and • resolution was in the
end adopted, affirming the opinion of the association that
the rapid progress and high excellence of continental
manufactures were mainly attributable to the existence of
schools for technical education, which have been so long
established in Germany and other parts of the Continent ;
that to enable the manufactures of this country to main-
tain the pre-eminence they had oolong enjoyed, the neces-
sity of establishing similar institutions in this country
should be urged upon government ; and that for this pur-
pose a committee be appointed by the Chambers to assist
in the promotion of art and industrial education.
MANFILAUGHTIaIt AT DONCASTER.—The extensive
plant works at Doncaster, in mune:ion with the Great
Northern Railway, were yesterday the scene of 11 painful
tragedy. Two men, named William Burton and Thomas
Moverley, were employed as smiths in the flame shop,
and were yesterday pursuing their usual avocations. In
the course of the day a dispute arms between them
about cock-fighting, and a good deal of " chaff " was
exchanged in consequence. The men about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon were working three or four fires
from each other, when Moverley went up to Burton,
who was putting his iron in the fire, and said, " What the
are you doing now ?'' and st the same time he
patted him tauntingly on the shoulder, and gave him a
thrust on the throat. With this Burton appears to have
lost all control of his temper, and, taking Lis hammer, be
struck Moverley a fearful blow over the head. The unfortu-
nate man was picked up insensible, and at once conveyed to
St. James's Hospital, near the Plant Works; be never
spoke again, and died before he reached the boom's'. In the
meantime Burton left the works and wont home. It is
said he told hie wife he had killed Moverley, and then,
taking his boots off, went upstairs, where he washed him-
self and took off his working clothes. Shortly afterwards
he was found by Police-sergeant Thompson sitting quietly
before the fire. Thompson then apprehended him upon a
charge of manslaughter. Burton is a married man, with
four or five young children ; Moverley was also married,
and had one child. Both lived in St. James's-street
South, and were neighbours, but it is asserted there has
been ill blood between them for some time. Mr. Supt.
Gregory has the case in band, and will bring the prisoner
before the borough magistrates this morning. The occur-
rence has created great sensation amongst the men at the
Plant Works.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF MUEDZR.—An extra-
ordinary trial for murder has just taken place at lifouilon,
canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. A man named Hely
Freymond had, before his • , which took pleas less
than a year ago, been on terms of intimacy with a young
woman, named Louise Freymond also, although no relation.
The husband had, however, not ceased to see his former
mistress, and the latter, whose hopes of brooming herself
the wife of H6ly had been destroyed by this mar-
riage, employed the influence she possessed over him to
induce him to poison Madame Freyoreed. He consented
to do so by means of a cake in which arsenic bad been in-
troduced, and which he had the horrible cruelty to give to
her when joyously playing together in a family party, arid
although she was far advanced in pregnancy. The constitu-
tion of the wife having resisted this attempt, a stronger (Mee
of poison was administered, and to which she succumbed.
Madame Freymoud had left her fortune to he equally
divided between her husband and her sister, Marie Ohs ier.
The man then formed the project to main the latter,
who waa, however, betrothed to a 11. Mettraux. To
remove this impediment Hely Freymond invited
Mettraux to accompany him on • walk, to make
arrangements for the division of the property, and
gave him a roll poisoned with strychnine ; the other
ate the bread without suspicion, and fell to the
ground in horrible convulsions, and Freymond believing
them to be mortal, left him to his fate. Mettraux was,
however, found by a friend, and was saved. Freymond
was then arrested, and doubt' hating arisen as to whether
the wife had died from natural causes, the body was ex-
homed and found to captain arsenic. He ass now brought
to trial, with his mistress, and,after five flays' proceedings,
WU condemned to death, and the woman to twenty years'
impriseament.