The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-11-17

many indulEed in star gazing. The teachers and
pupils Of Punabou College made special arrange
meuts for the occasion: and the result was very
satisfactory. Mr.. Bobert Andrews. furnishes the
following Iist-the same that appeared in the daily
Herald:
Hours. No o.. Meteors. Weather.
10 to .--.-sky clear -
Ito
ITO
In all 81 meteors were recorded. most of them
very small and ordinary. but a few were really
beautiful. Two reSemblcd rockets very closely,
one exploding in the Sou;h. over the sea. and the
other one west from the college. apparently directly
over the harbor. Quite a number left trails like
comets. At one time. for n few moments. the sky
was literally filed with shooting stars, which
made it nearly as light as day. After , o'clock no
record was kept. though occasional meteors were
seen till daylight. The greatest number were
observed from the Eastern point Of the compass to
the Southwest. and very few to the North. While
on the subject Of meteors, we may here append a
notice of one which fell in September last near
Austin. in Arizona. 1t occurred about Q O'Clock in
the evening. and the whole country was lighted up
by it for miles around:
On the instant the light became brilliant and intense, and an
immense holy, glowing with incsndescent heat, moved rapidly
through the atmosphere IN a southeriy direction Monroe de-
scrihts it as the graulest spectacle he ever witnessed As the
/ meteor disappeared, the light gradually paNcd, ana 500 faded
altogether. leaving only the starlight. In from ten to twenty
seconds after the Disappearance Of the body. the now thoroughly
awakened party heard a quL5k succession u thgnderins sounds
x xbich rsysrSersfaI, br5nrb the mo1ntains for severaI seconds
1t was uudnuhtedly an enormous meteor, which had fallen and
crushed the summit Of a mountain not very far distant from the
camp Of the party. MIR. Monroe represents the vast body as
without any particular shape. and as Large as a church"
Even now ia his cooler moments he insists That 1t was as
" large as a small house " Meteors are composed generally OF
masses OF stone aud native iron, aud Dana says, the most re-
mark lille masses Of m-teoric iron occur in South America, where
there is one whose weight is estimated at 10000 pounds.
NEW BEDFORD AND QUEEN EMuA-We stated a
week or two since that the City Council of New
Bedford lad invited our ex-QuceE to visit that city.
1t may interest orr Scafaring readers to know what
was done, and we therefore copy the following
order. passed by the Council. from a New Bedford
paper:
Bhereas. Her Majesty, Queen Emma, Dowarer Queen of the
Hawaiian Islands, j. now in this country AMI IS expected in a
short time to visit this State and
UheFsaS. The intimate and extensive business intercourse
which has long existed between Ia. inhabitants of those islands
sn n |, !" g, 6,P FSoU f have ex ltqd. t" her the = cs"s do due ~
rank AMI character, and to the friendly relations which have
.h"r5iar existed '''"ee" : III 's u''' 0' "'' Al" ;
ResoLred. That the Mayor he. aud he hereby is respectfully
requested to tender to Qneen Emma an Invitation to VISIT
New Bedford. as the guest of the city, at such time as may be
agreeable to her and that lis Honor be and he hereby is
authorized to take all necessary steps for carrying this resolu-
ton into effect. Adopted and sent down for concurrence.
Owing to a bereavement. however. of tht Queen
/ (says the U,rc,ug). we shall lac deprived Of the
pleasure of a visit from her Royal Ilighncss. as Il
letter received in this city by James Il. COngdOn.
ESQ. from a member of the Hawaiian Club In BoS-
ton. states that 1t was not the mother of Queen
Emma whose recent death compelled her to bring
her visit to this country To il sudden close. but her
aunt. who had adopted her. and had been to her
a faithful mother from her babyhood. and like the
true hearted woman that she is. she gave up all her
journeyings. and the fetes and honors that awaited
her. and took the first steamer tor home on Satur-
day. LIST inst
The writer adds that care will be taken Ia in
form the Queen of the attentions which the authOri-
ties of this city had designed to extend to her, and
that she will appreciate our courtesy
New AMERICAN Consul FOR HoNoLUIU.-Among
the appointments published in Washington, Oct. l
we find the following
Maj Gen. Morgan l.. Smith, of Missouri. has been appointed
Consul at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, vice a. Caldwell, re-
called.
Some months ago Consul Caldwell asked of his
government leave of absence, and if that could not
be granted. that he might be recalled. The above
appointment has doubtless been made in accord
ance with his wish to return home. He has been
here now nearly five years. OF the new Consul we
know nothing, but the fact of his having attained
the rank of Major General during the late war
would indicate ability of no ordinary standing.
He would probably leave New York by Decem-
Der l, so as to take passage in the Colorado. (the
first of the China s~teamers,) reaching Honolulu
about January 10.
n pAiLi ms IVY AhilN ~
gains in favor every day. 1t promises to appear
on Mondays instead of Saturdays-a change for the
better. Since Mr.. Sheldon has been added to its
staff of reporters. a II marked Improvement has been
observed. and scarcely an item of local interest
slips by unnoticed. He was formerly connected
with the Gazette, and what the daily has gained
by the change the official organ appears to have
lost. Itemizing in Honolulu is a trade of itself.
which few have ever succeeded in getting the
hang Of" II the daily improves financially as well
as in its news department, it is bound to be a sue
cess. AT least We hope it will long prosper.
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT CHEATING.-A New York
paper says that thirty distillerics in that city have
decided to give up the business. because they can't
make it pay without dcfrauding the Government,
and the revenue authorities are too vigilant for
them. This is said 10 be the case in almost every
country of the world, and distilleries can rarely
exist without defrauding Government.
HoMEwARD BouxD-The bark Ethan Allen will
sail about 4 O'Clock this afternoon. for san Fran
cisco. Her mail will close at l 2. NJ. at the Post
Office. and ought to reach New York on or about
New Years day. Files of the Advertiser. contain
ing all the late local and whaling news can be Oh
tanned at our counter in wrappers. ready for mail
ing. The Postage on each single letter to New
York is 10 cents, and on each paper. 4 cents.
Iron BELTING-An exchange says that a great
sensation has been created among mechanics in the
United States by the accidental discovery by a
machinist OF Buffalo that sheet iron. prepared in a
peculiar way. will serve for betting a. we'll as rub
Der or leather, and outlast either. If this discovery
i of general service in machinery. it will create a
revolution. -
E5- While in Brazil, the single scale of a fish
was brought to Agassiz, which he had never seen.
lie Immediately made a chalk drawing of what he
supposed To he the form and nature of the fish.
which proved. when the animal was produced. to
he very nearly correct. 1t shows what wonderful
knowledge this naturalist possesses.