Year: 1860




purpose OF taking soundings the projected rout,
of the North Atlantic Telegraph cable The lat
Arctic cruiser, Fox, expected to leave South
ampton about the middle of July for the des
| tination.


AUSTRIA,


- 1t is asserted that the leading members of tn
| Council of the Empire had agreed to advise tht
Emperor to grant Constitution to his subjects
and that motion to that effect would soon be for
mally brought before the Council.


ROME.


rumor was current that movement of Roman
troops towards the Neapolitan frontiers had taken
! place.


The reforms which the Papal government had
decided upon granting were to be promulgated
shortly in a motu proprio. Among other conces
slons the rope grants to the Consuta of the State
is deliberative vote on all financial questions in
which, until now, it had only consultative vote:
but these reforms to be granted condition OF
the integrity of the patrimony of ST. Peter being
| guaranteed.


EXTRAORDINARY ATMOSPHERIC PHENoMENoY-On
Friday night, about hafpast o'clock, an immense
luminous body-or rather two bodies, connected
| by chain of fre-appeared to pass over this
city. The meteorite, or whatever it was, gave
warning of its approach by considerable iumi.
nation in the northwest, having somewhat the
| appearance of fire. 1t was then seen apparent
ly, to rise from near the horizon, and having OBJ
-
our highest houses, passed slowly towards the
southeast and disappeared in that quarter of the
sky. Its size is variousy given as ranging from a
dinner plate to cart wheel, and it believed to
be either a paper balloon, or the comet broken
loose, according to the maginations of the behold
ers All unite in describing it as a larger and
smaller body, united by brilliant line of light
the larger body having the appearance of rotation
Or ipk karip hiatt
tions of blush hue. Of course the idea of its
rising and becoming extingushed in any one local
ity was an ocular deception. It was seen
at about the same hour it made its appearance
here, as far north and south as we have yet heard
from, and the accounts given of it so far all sub
stantiay agree. 1t was probably one OF those
immense mysterious bodies which have sometimes
passed within observation, but which appear
and disappear without the laws of their existence
being indicated or understood. 1t may have been
akin to the one which passed over Ohio earlier in
the season, and which exploded with noise heard
over diameter of more than hundred miles,
diScharging shower of stones, some of which
weighed upwards of hundred pounds


Some calculations show that the size of these bo-
dies and their distance from the earth are much
greater than is generally supposed, their crcum-
ference being measured by miles, and their distance
by thousands OF miles. Passing along its prescribed
path at an immese distance from the surface of the
earth, this meteorite would naturally have appeared
to rise from the horizon as it entered the immedi
ate field of each observers vision. The body was
seen as we have described it, by the captain of one
of our steamboats,, just off the mouth of the Poto-
mac He declares it was in sight some three min.
ues but this is probably mistake. From its appear
ance so early in the night we shall probably have
more accurate observations than have usually been
bestowed on such phenomena. We subion the fol-
lowing accounts, cut from our exchanges, which
are all we have yet seen. A Philadelphia contem-
porary, says:


Friday evening, about half past nine very extra
ordinary meteor madeits appearance in the heavens.
The writer riding in Broad street. below the city
and had fair view of the phenomenon in its whole
course. 1t arose in the north western part of the
heavens, from cloud which was not revealed until
the light of the meteor made it visible. Then an
object, about the size of the full moon and as
bright, suddenly started from the cloud traversed
in direct easterly line the whole extent of visible
space, dropping fire. apparently, in its course like
rocket, till it passed so far eastward to resem-
BILE red ball, about twice the size of the planet
Mars, visible in the southeast. So soon as it dis
appeared, fash like heat lightning revealed
cloud to the eastM ard, low down in the horizon,
which continued to emit flashes of light for half an
hour afterwards. The phenomenon at one time
seemed to separate like rocket when it burst
but the larger portion keeping in a straight
towards the eastward. 1t was witnessed by many
porsons, and caused considerable wonderment for
the time and was certainly the most extraordinary
appearance that we ever saw in the heavens. Its
motion was not so fast apparently, as that OF
rocket though its height and the vast extent of
space that it traversed, proved that its velocity
must have exceeded that produced by any known
force that we are acquainted with. The phenome-
non, from all appearances, must have been elec-
trical.


The New York World describes it thus:


Shortly before ten o'clock last night an interest
ing sight took place over the upper part of the
city. 1t was supposed to be meteor. 1t was first
seen in the form of blue star, surrounded by a
thick mist. 1t seemed to come from Jersey, and
proceeded gradually for several hundred feet,
and then, when about Forty seventh street
and Broadway, it suddenly changed its appear
ance by throwing out red fiery looking substance,
forming burning tail of at least two hundred feet
in length. The moment the red fires exhibited
itself it took horizontal course and increased in
speed and apparently extinguished itself at about
the Third avenue and Forty-seventh street This
curious phenomenon must have been witnessed by
thousands, as large number of people were in the
streets at the time, attracted by the fire in the
kerosene factory in Forty seventh street. which was
burning at the time.


gentleman coming from Brooklyn between the
hours ofnine and ten last evening, gave US a des
crption OF an atmospherica phenomenon visible at
that tlme which excited the interest and curiosity





two balls of fire, apparently the size of mans
hat and having each tail stream of fire
following it, passed from the southwest to the
northeast, at distance of not over mile above
the earth. These tails, from the earth ap-
peared to be about eight ten feet in length. The
bodies followed each other in immediate success
sion the head of the second tapping on it were,
to the tail OF the first. The degree of velocity was
so moderate to preclude the possibility of their
being meteors, it being in the language of our in
formant, apparently little faster than the usual
! speed of horse. What wind there was at the
time was in an opposite direction from that taken
by the two bodies, SO that they could not have been
| fire balloons, suggested by some. They ex-
cited considerable interest among the Brooklynites
and the passengers on the FERRIES and all seemed to
| agree that they had never seen anything of the
kind before, and that to them it was inexplicabe.
| Doubtless of our scientific men will soon give
| us an explanation of it.


| From the Ne,o York Tribune Of Satsvdayl
SIR: Sitting on the roof of my residence this
| evening, with party of ladies and gentlemen, |
was fortunate enough to witness the passage of q
meteoric body through the heavens such as has not
| been seen in great many years. The time was
9.45, and about a minute was occupied in the pas
sage OF the brilliant object. 1t started in the east
| and took course due west. Before getting fairly
underway, it went through variety of changes
like piece of fireworks. When on its course ii
left behind brilliant train about one.eiohth of .
| mile in length. As near as | could Judge it disap
| peared somewhere in the neighborhood of the Bow
| cry and Grand street. The heavens were studded
with stars and the darkness was relieved by an oc
casional flash of lightning in the southwest. The
highest attitude it attained as near as could Judge
was about quarter of mile. Upon consulting
the thermometer few minutes after, | found il
| marked 7S. EpwARb t. GuL


BROOKLYN, July 20.


| From the Inquirer, PHILADELPHIA


AT about half-past nine o'clock last evening,
\ meteor of the most singular character passed
1 through the heavens from the West towards th,
East. 1t was preceded by radiance similar tt
that OF an aurora and progressed slowly, lingering
Tor some time within the range of vision. 1t con
sisted, apparently, of several bodies of greenisi
hue connected with belt of fame. A long stream
er OF fire was in its wake. Crowds were gathered
at the street corners, discussing and speculatins
upon its supposed influence on mundane affairs. Ii
| the neighborhood of Fairmount it seemed to toucl
the top of the reservoir mound, while those wht
witnessed it from the wharf described it sinking
into the bed of the Delaware, whose surface wa
illuminated with its brilancy. Of course this was
in reality, not the case as accounts from some dis
tance below Camden represent it as still pursuin!
Its night towards the orient 1t is seldom that suc
an eccentric visitor breaks in upon the harmony O
the spheres in the view of so large crowd of spec
tators, and we may expect much astronomical dis
! cusson upon the subject.


FL From the Washington Stdrl
Editor Star Perhaps some of your reader
may be interested in the following At half pas
nine last night meteor appeared in the north