The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-11-16
LOCAL MATTERS.
THE FALLING STARS.

in
THE FALLING STARS.
THE GREAT METEoRIC DISPLAY OF lse8.
It did come off. Contrary to general e1-
pectation there was no postponement on
account of the weather or anything else,
and those persons who retired before mid
aight en- Friday missed spectacle of
grandeur which they can hardly expect to
'have an opportunity of beholding more
than once in lifetime-a spectacle like
that which thirty years ago made all
sarly-rising America fear that the last great
day had come, and that this terrestrial ball
was indeed about to "dissolve like the
baseless fabric of vision," amid the crash
of myriads of fiery spheres.
The stars fell. Many who sat up the
live-long night on the 18th of last Novem-
Der and who were disappointed, and who
were too wise this year to lose eight hours OF
sleep on FOOLS MISSION" went to bed
early, and missed it. But there were many
who did see the grand display of celestial
fireworks, and thereat marvelled greatly
1t was all the talk among the marketmen
who travelled all night to be early in the
city with their produce. The policemen IN
our streets were reused by the glare of light,
and, leaning against the lamp-posts, en-
joyed the magnificent sight. Other night
prowlers saw it, and besides all these, the
wide-awake reporter of the Dispatch, glass
in hand, scanned the starry expanse in
RAPTURE of delight, mourning only that the
morning paper had gone to press.
At about half-past 10 o'clock number
Of meteors were seen by persons in Rich
mond, but they we're not sufficiently bril-
liant or numerous to attract attention until
about half-past IL, when one of unusual
brilliancy sprang suddenly from the con-
stellation of Leo, and sped westward, fol-
lowed by trail of silvery light. Moving
at fearful speed, it seemed to be about to
sink below the horizon, when suddenly 1t
burst into thousand fragments, the lu-
ninous particles scattering in every direc-
ion, reminding one of the bursting of an
enormous bomb. The meteors then became
more frequent, scarcely minute passing
without one or more being noticed. The
nicht was as clear as could be desired,
every star twinkling brightly in an un-
clouded sky, and even thus far the pheno-
menon was we'll worth seeing, though this
was, as it were, merely the first dropplngs
of the storm. At y and half-past y the
scene presented no new attraction, except
that there might have been half score Of
such explosions as we have above described,
none of them, however, equaling the first
in grandeur. At one o'clock the flaming
spheres began to multiply ,and every moment
-eemed to quadruplc their number. Some
we're the merest specks of light, while
others shone with the dazzling hrilliancy Of
the largest rocket, seeming to shed forth, as
,hey rolled across the ornament, all the
colors of the rainbow. Every instant the
ouivering, fiery path Of some new meteorS
lit up the sky, as they burst forth from
every quarter of the heavens and flashed
llong, presently to be lost in sudden dark
ness, or, exploding, burst into very sun Of
brightness.
Perhaps the finest spectacle Of the night
and certainly that which will be longest re-
membered by observers, was presented a'
half-past o'clock, when, for at least ff-
teen minutes, the whole northern horizon
was illumined by brightness resembling
that Of incandescent iron, paling the stars
and for a time bringing forth all else as in
the clearest moonlight. The milky-way
gloWed with unusual brilliancy; but 1t was
remarked that few meteors seemed to cross
that part of the heavens. But it is abso-
! lutely impossible to convey clear idea oI
| a spectacle so rare and so sublime. Hour
after hour the phenomena was observable
and the stars continued to faeh and fall until
the day dawned and the first rays Of the
| rising sun shut out from our vision scene
which will never be forgotten by those
| whose fortune it was to behold 1t.
1t is worthy Of note that nearly all the
| meteors, though they crossed each other al
| every conceivable angle, radiated from the
| constellation Leo, and their course WAS from
northeast westward. When the display wa:
at its height we estimated that the meteor:
were falling at the rate of FIVE or six hun
dred an hour, though the average was hard
| ly above three hundred an hour. At time:
they were easily counted, but again to coun
them would have been as hopeless task a:
! the numbering of the fixed stars.
| Persons from the adjoining counties de
scribe the scene substantially as witnessed
in the city, and above described. The cap
tain of tug that came up the river OF
Friday night, in addition, speaks OF what
appeared to him and his crew to be large
comet in the north. A GordonsVllle cor
respondent mentions the same phenomena
and states that many persons thereabort
witnessed the spectacle with wonder ant
delight. ...
MILITARY CHANGES.-General StonemaI
has issued an order relieving the Twenty
ninth regiment United States infantry from
duty in this military district, and are or
dered to report at once TO Memphis, Tenn
Thence, it is understood, they will proceet
at once to Austin, Texas. The order l
issued in compliance with Special Orde
No. 27l, headquarters of the army.
MORE TROUBLE AT THE TREDEGAR SHOPS
Robert Archer, one Of the proprletors, an'
James King, workman at the IredeSa
| l. Sl,n hly- n