Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-11-16

| huu i4th OF NufNmutfi "oe WV f..se@',
ity Of the shower was soon established
The examination Of old records reveaie
the fact that at least twelve appearance
of the November shower were observe
previous TO 1888. They occurred |
he wears eO2, 93l, 1884, 1902, ll0l, 40:
| 1866. 1888. 1902, 1898, 1899 and 1873.
Besides these, six others, less distinct
marked, occurred In 1887, 1918, 1921
1923, 1928 and 1891 and from 1898
ls4s inclusive, eleven partial returns Q
the shower were observed.
1t was found that all great displays Q
this shower have taken place at interval
of thirty.three or thirty-four years, o
some multiple Of that period, and conse
quently brilliant fall was looked for il
November, 1866. In this country, public
curiosity was disappointed. A create
number Of shooting stars was seen thai
on ordinary nights, but not so many o.
to attract special attention. At New
Haven about six times the usual numbe
we're seen. In Europe, however, the dis
play was more conspicuous, a shower
having been observed at Edinburg, Lon
don, and in different countries on thu
continent
1t has been ascertained that on q clear
moonless night, q single observer would
see on an average about eight shooting
stars per hour, or that thirty would be
seen BY watching the entire hemisphere.
This would give 720 for every twenty
four hours. The number visible over the
whole earth is some l0,460 times the
number to be seen at any one point, SO
that the average daily number, OF sntii.
cient magnitude to be seen by the naked
ave. is more than 100000. Two OBJ
servers, by the use OF telescope, have
increased this number to about 100000
900 per day.
The average attitude of shooting stars
is about sixty miles, and no deposit from
them has ever been known to reach the
earth's surface, the matter composing
them being consumed and resolved into
small clouds, in some cases at an eleva-
ton of thirty miles.
Besides ordinary shooting stars, bolldes
or fre-balls of greater magnitude than
shooting stars-and falls of aerolites, or
meteoric stones, all OF frequent occur
renee, Professor Kirkwood gives list
of twenty-seven of the more important
of the fall of @rolites, and displays OF
meteoric fre-bals, extending over the
period from 654 B. C. to 1864. This list
contains only small proportion of those
meteoric stones, the date of whose fall is
known. Besides these, other masses have
been formed so closely similar in struc-
ture to arolites whose descent has been
observed, as to leave no doubt as to their
origin. One of these is mass OF iron
and nickel, weighing 1850 pounds, found
in Siberia. On the plain OF Otumpa, In
Buenos Ayres, is meteoric mass seven
and half feet in length, partly buried
in the ground. Its estimated weight is
33. 600 pounds. A similar block of me-
teoric origin, weighing $4,000 pounds,
was discovered years since in Brazil.
Meteoric stone-falls are found to occur
with greater frequency than usual on or
about particular days; that is, they are
periodic, like the showers of shooting
stars. No new elements have been found
in meteoric stones. They are composed
of the same elements as are found In the
earth's crust-iron Observation-Disclosures
these elements are combined in man
ner so peculiar that skillfnl mineralo-
gist will readily distinguish them from
terrestrial substances. The specific grav-
tiles vary from l.9 to 7.9, the average
being about three or four.
The aero!ite epochs are co-incident
with those Of shooting stars. Professor
Kirkwood enumerates twenty-five in
stances of the appearance of fire-balls or
the fall of meteoric stones, occurring
from the 9th to the l4th OF November;
forty-one from the 4th to the llth of Au-
gust seven in December and eight IN
April. :,
Several theories of the origin of aeoril-
ties have been proposed. The atmos-
pheric theory supposes them to be formed
like hail, in the earth's atmosphere; the
volcanic regards them as matter eJected
with great force from terrestrial VOLCANOES;
the lunar az having been thrown from
craters in the moon and the solar by
pothesis supposes them to be projected
by some tremendous explosive force from
the sun. The atmospheric and volcanic
theories have been abandoned as untena-
BILE; the lunar theory was adopted by
Laplace, Oilers, Blot, Poisson, Professor
Nichol, of Glasgow, and others, but is
considered to have been virtually dis
proved by the mathematical analysis OF
DR.. B. A. Gould, and the solar hypothesis
has had its advocates both in ancient and
modern times. =.
The cosmical theory, as it is termed, is
now accepted by a majority of scientific
men. According to this theory, comets,
shooting stars, bolides and erolites are
regarded as bodies of the same nature,
and of similar origin; differing frem
each other mainly in magnitude and
density. There are supposed to exist
rings or streams OF nebulous matter, the
different parts of which are of unequal
density, circulating about the sun IN
elliptical orbits, some of which intersect
that of the earth. When the earth passes
point Of intersection, it encounters
such masses Of the nebulous matter as
happen to be passing at the same time.
The air is rapidly and powerfully con-
densed, and heat thus elected, which ig-
mites the matter and gives IRISH to a me-
teoric shower. This must recur at The
same date in different years, the fire.
auency of the encounter depending on the
closeness and regqlsrity with which the
masses are distributed around the ring
These Aunuli or streams Of nebulous
matter are supposed, in accordance
with Laplace's nebulsF hypothesis OF
the mode Of formation Of the solar
and stellar systems, to have been
thrown off from the equatorial re
gions Of the sun and planets before
the condensati Of these bodies into
their present forms, or to have been out
standing masses OF pebglons matter left
in equihbrio between the sun and neigh
boring systems, which, in process Of time,
have been drawn into the solar system by
the SUMS attraction. A. p STEWART.