Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-09-14

THE SHOWER BLoop.-lhe singular atmos-
pherical pleuumenon, which IS reported TO nave Ia
ken place recently III Tennessee, has gwen rise 10
some curious spccuiaons Ii is stated in the Post OF
Boston, that several worthless in the vicinity Of that
lea rned cty have construed the mysterious shower
into Judgment from Heaven, designed TO warn the
slavelolding States Of the iniquty of their traffic in
flesh and blood; others regard II as presage oil most
terrible war; but third party connect II IN some m
eSpcable way with tie fulilment Of certain prnphc-
cles Of the Revelations. The accomplished Editor
himself proceeds 10 his readers 10 more scicn-
tfc account, of the matter. He snys:
alt i well authenticated fact that fishes, seawecd,
bells, &c, have frequently fallen inland during ram
storms and hence il is inferred that they have been Ia
ken from the in water spout 10 the clouds. II
this inference be correct it will not be unreasonable 10
suppose that waer-spout may form III the vicinity
of ship killing cutting up whales, when the sen IS
dyed with blood and covered with particles Of flesh, and
carry 10 the clouds Just such flesh and blood was
raned in Tennessee The great distance Of Tennessee
from the (when the velocity with which the clouds
generally hurried along ny even common breeze,
taken into consideration cannot be raised an Oh.
j"cnn against this supposl,Ion
But satisfactory explanation. II seems To US,
referred to by a the National ltclligcncer, i
IN Kirby and Spcnces Natural History of Insects. II
is said in that work, that many species OF Lepdopern
(buterles) when they emerge from the chrysalls state,
discharge reddish fluid, resembling, when the num-
Der of the insects is considerable, drops OF blood
"That insects are the of these (supposed)
showers no recent discovery for Slcdan relates that,
in the year 1853, vast multitude ofbuterfes swarm
ed through great part OF Germany, and sprrnkled
plants, leaves buildings, clothes and men, with bloody
drops, if il had rained blood. But the most inter
estng account of event of this kind is given by
Reaumur, from whom learn that in the beginning
of July, 1908, the suburbs Of AK and considerable
extent of country around it covered with what
appeared TO be a shower of blood We may conceive
the amazement and stupo of the popuace upon such
discovery the alarm Of the citizens, the grave reasoning
of the learned All agreed, however, in attrbn,ng the
appearance 10 the powers of darkness, and regarding
the prognos,ic and precursor of some dIreful
fortune about TO hefa them.
Fear and prejudice would have taken deep root
upon this occasion, and might have produced fatal e
fects upon weak minds, had not Nj. Peirese, Il
celebrated philosopher Of that place. paid attention to
insects. A chrysalIs, which he preserved in his cab-
net let him into the secret of this mysterious shower
Hearing lultering, which informed HIM his insect
arrived at its perfect state he opened the box in
which he kept il; the animal flew out, and left behind
il red spot. He compared this with the spots of the
bloody shower, and found they alike. At the
time he observed there prodigious quantity
Of butterflies lying about, and the drops Of the n,iracu
lous rain no, to be found upon the tiles nor even
upon the upper surface of the stones, but chiefly the
cavities and places where rain could not easily come
Thus did this udlcious observer dispel the ignorant
fears and terror which a natural phenomenon had
caused Vol. !, page 35.'
Further information in regard to the fluid secretcd
by insects, when first passing OF the chrysas state
may be had in The Natural History Of Insects, forming