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GREAT BRITAIN.

The Temple Church at London: its History and Antiquities. By C. G. Addison, Esq., of the Inner Temple. London.

pect to which Prof. D. has manifestly not discovered | SELECT LIST OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS. the truth, indeed not even the probability. For the confirmation of what is here given, the author has constantly, as often as seemed needful, referred to his theory of Latin Etymology and included the paragraph referred to in brackets. The same terminology is employed in both works. In the preface, the author has explained, at length, a part of this grammatical terminus, according to his own understanding of it. It were to be wished that the book contained an explanation of the abbreviations used, (ags., Hes., alid., etc.,) for the benefit of scholars.-Gersdorf's Repertorium.

2. History of Philosophy in the Middle Ages; with a
Sketch of Literature derived from its Sources.
By Dr. G. O. Marbach. Leipzig, 1841.
We have already spoken of the volume of Dr
Marbach's on the Philosophy of the Greeks and
Romans. This is conducted with the same re-
search, and we shall, therefore, content ourselves
here with a brief statement of the arrangement
and consecutive order which the author has adopt
ed. The introduction, p. 3-15, begins with a
glance at Grecian Philosophy and the development
of the question as to the influence of the entrance
of Christianity on the philosophy of the middle ages.

The Gallery of Antiquities: selected from the British Museum. By F. Arundale, and J. Bonomi. London.

History of the Church of Scotland during the Commonwealth. By Rev. Jas. Beattie. London.

Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Vol. 1., part 1. London.

A Symbolical Dictionary. By Charles
Danbus, M. A. New and enlarged edition.
London.
Memoir of India and Affghanistan. By
I. Harlan. London.

Lays of Ancient Rome. By the Kight
Hon. T. B. Macaulay. London.

The Modern Pulpit in its Relation to the State of Society. By Robert Vaughan, D. D. London.

Accordingly the latter is first characterized in gen
eral. The historic representation is divided into
two principal parts" the "Ante-historical" and
the Historical." The first unfolds the Alexan-
drine-Jewish, the Alexandrine-Gentile, (Neopla-
tonic) and the Arabian philosophy. The second.
after some general discussion as to the relation of
Christianity to Philosophy, and the character of the
Christian philosophy of the middle ages, as deter-
mined by it, treats first of the Fathers, (Tertullian,
Arnobius, Lactantius, Justin, Athenagoras, Ta-Berlin, 1842.
tian, Clemens, Origen, Synesius, Aeneas, Nemesius,
Augustin the most copiously of all,) then of the
gradual decline of Greek and the first rise of Chris-

GERMANY.

Die wichtigsten und schwierigsten Abschnitte des Pentateuches. Erläutert. Thl. 1. Die Geschichte Bileams und seine Weissagungen: von. Dr. G. W. Hengstenberg.

System der, Logik als Kuntslehre des Denkens: von Dr. F. G. Beneke. 2 vols. Berlin, 1842.

tian-Germanic culture; finally, from p. 207, of Scholastics in four parts. The principle of this dis Handbuch der Geschichte der poetischen crimination is partly the opposition between Real-National-literatur der Deutschen: von G. ism and Nominalism, partly the influence which G. Gervinus. Leipzig, 1842. the increasing acquaintance with the writings of Aristotle exercised in widening the circle of thought among the Scholastics. The first part commences with John Scotus Erigena; the second with the first appearance of Nominalism; the third with the extended study of Aristotle; the fourth with the revival of Nominalism through Occam.-Ibid.

France.

1. On the Resurrection of the Body. By M. TachardGaubil, de Montauban (Tarn et Garonne).

M. Tachard undertakes to prove that the resur. rection is possible and probable according to reason, certain according to revelation. The rational con

Beiträge zur Kritik von Tacitus Agricola: von Dr. F. C. Wex. Schwerin, 1842.

FRANCE.

Trois ans de promenade en Europe et en Asie; par Stanislas Bellanger. 2 vols. Paris, 1842.

Recherches sur la priorité de la décou verte des pays situés sur la côte occidentale d'Afrique; par de Santarem. Paris, 1842.

Du Crédit public et de son histoire depuis les tems anciens jusqu'à nos jours; par M. Marie Angier. Paris, 1842.

siderations in favor of his thesis are-1. The constiHistoire des idées litteraires en France tution of man. 2. The attributes of God. 3. The analogies of nature. But these he presents only as aux dix neuvième siècle et de leurs origines presumptions or probabilities. Coming to the real dans les siècles antérieurs ; par A. Michiels. proof, the testimony of the Scriptures, he distin-2 vols. Paris, 1842. guishes the instruction of the Old from that of the New Testament on this subject; and in the study of both, he places beside the declarations which affirm the dogma, the facts which imply it, or in some sort prophesy it.

M. Tachard discusses objections; he gives an aperçu of the biblical doctrine on the nature of the glorified body, and concludes by pointing ont the practical consequences of the truth which he has established.-Revue Théologique.

DENMARK.

Thorvalsden og hans Vaerker. Texten forkortet efter Theile ved F. C. Hillerup. Kjöbenhavn, 1842.

Genera og Species af Danmarks Eleutherata; ved J. C. Schiödte. Kjöbenhavn,

1842.

AMERICAN ECLECTIC

AND

MUSEUM OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.

FEBRUARY, 1843.

THE NOVEMBER METEORS.

Translated from the Deutsche Vierteljahrs Schrift. By the EDITOR, J. H. A.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

of all the facts, that the stars of 1833 were supaatmospheric in their origin, and are probably rearticle will reward any one for a perusal. ED.

THE subject of the following article is interest-lated to the auroral and zodiacal lights. The ing, and the author one, whose writings have attracted considerable attention.

The falling stars of 1833 were, at the time, a phenomenon of unusual interest, exciting the admiration of some, the wonder of others, and the fears of multitudes. Had they fallen in November, 1842, they would doubtless have been interpreted as certain prognostics of the coming of the Son of Man in 1843, and Mr. Miller's opinions would now be more popular than they

are.

Men of science were busy, for some time after, in collecting and arranging facts in respect to this shower of stars, in order to arrive at some probable conclusions as to their source, distances, periodicity, etc.

In Silliman's Journal of 1834 will be found the explanations of Professors Olmsted, Hitchcock, and Twining, founded on the facts as reported by observers in different parts of the United States and of the Atlantic Ocean.

The opinion of Professor Olmsted, in which Professor Twining concurs, is, that these meteors were not originated in the earth's atmosphere, but far beyond it; that they were not ordinary fire-balls, but parts of a nebulous body, revolv ing in an orbit around the sun, and within that of the earth; and consequently that, at certain periods, it will come within the sphere of observation from our planet.

In a periodical maintaining the laudable. basis of discussing practical matters of present interest, it will, perhaps, seem hazardous to devote an article to a phenomenon of nature which presents no practical aspect. But discoveries, which promise new explications of the great economy of the solar system, are not limited in their interest to astronomers and meterologists, but awaken the attention of all the cultivated on have more and more attracted the general our globe. As the meteors of November view of the striking facts, and the various observation, and led to a new comparative attempts at their explanation, we may be justified in giving a place here to the consideration of this subject.

Fire-balls and shooting stars are wellknown phenomena. But they have only attracted any special attention since the celebrated travellers, Alexander von Humboldt and Bonpland, witnessed an almost fabulous multitude of these meteors, a thick, incessant shower of shooting stars, during the whole night of the 12th of November, 1799, at Cumana, on the coast of South America. Already some years earlier (1794), the sagacious and unwearied experimenter Chladni had, in a brief essay on

Wolfgang Menzel, in the present article, has given us the result of extended search into the philosophical annals and chronicles of Europe, and has discovered so many similar phenomena occurring between the 12th and 15th of November, that they seem very much to strengthen the meteoric stones, explained these heterogeopinion of our own scientific observers. Men-neous metallic and rocky masses as the prozel himself inclines to the opinion, from a view duct of bursted fire-balls, and conjectured VOL. I. No. II.

19

that they are not generated in our atmo- gust, 1833. In 1821 and the immediately sphere, but cosmic (supra-atmospheric) in following years, the regular return of the their origin. But his opinion obtained so great meteoric shower on certain days of little credit that, in 1803, the Academy of the year, particularly in November, was Paris, before which he laid his views as a first clearly acknowledged. On the 12th and modest German scholar, pronounced them 13th of Nov. 1831, Berard saw this beautiful fanciful. It so happened, however, that phenomenon in all its splendor, on the just at that time, during the sitting of the coast of Spain. On the same night of the Academy, there occurred in France itself, following year, 1832, it was seen almost near l'Aigle, a most remarkable and abun- throughout Europe; and on the same night dant shower of meteoric stones. The of the next year, 1833, most gloriously in Academy sent an examining commission to America. Denison (Davison, Menzel has the very spot, and found all the suppositions it.-ED.) Olmsted observed it Connecti

of our Chladni confirmed, as they then pen-cut, (Massachusetts it is in the German. itently confessed. In 1819 Chladni publish--ED.) and enumerated, at a reasonable ed his larger work on meteors (continued estimate, 240,000 falling stars. In 1834 and enriched by M. von Schreiber), in fewer meteors appeared, and just one night which his view is supported by innumerable later, that of the 13th and 14th of Novemfacts, collected with the greatest industry ber. Nothing noteworthy occurrred in from both ancient and modern times. 1835. In 1836 the younger Herschel witThere was abundant opposition to his affir-nessed numerous fireballs on the night of mation of the cosmic origin of meteoric the 13th and 14th of November, at the stones; but that they proceeded immediately from fireballs was generally acknowledged, and was confirmed almost every year by new occurrences.

Cape of Good Hope; and in North America shooting stars were seen on the 17th. The next year was destitute of such phenomena, but in 1838 meteors were seen again in Germany on the 12th, and in 1839 from the 10th to the 14th of November. All these recent occurrences are carefully recorded in the meteorological chronicles of Professor Plieninger, which are published in the circular of the royal agricultural society of Würtemberg, and are excellent models for others. In respect to the remarkable showers of 1832 and 1833, Puggendorf's Annals, Bände 33 and 38 ought to be consulted.

Whilst attention generally was rather directed to meteoric stones than to shooting stars, Messrs. Benzenberg and Brandes devoted themselves to the latter, and took pains to enumerate and determine the transient appearances in the heavens. Brandes founded a society at Breslau in 1817, whose object was to make observations on shooting stars, from different points exactly at the same moment of time, and then to compare their collected observations. They actually ascertained the height of many of Although, however, the regular return of the falling stars, and as some were reckoned the November meteors was proved, yet at 60, indeed even at 100 German miles, the hypothesis of their cosmic origin had this new experience seemed to establish not also obtained an unquestioned acceptChladni's cosmic hypothesis. We must believe that our atmosphere does not reach such an elevation; therefore the falling stars come from regions beyond it, as Chladni had already affirmed of the fireballs and meteoric stones.

Still, nothing was yet known of a periodic return of remarkable showers of falling stars. True, on the 10th of August, 1815, very many of these meteors were seen to fall, but who should thence think of a connection with the 12th of November, 1799? Again, on the night of the 12th and 13th of November, 1822, numerous falling stars were observed at Potsdam (Comp. Gilbert's Annalen, Band 72, p. 219); but this correspondence of the date still seemed to be accidental. No more did the consequence become confessed in the meteoric shower of the night of the 10th and 11th of Au

ance. As the physical nature of the meteors, as far as the same was discoverable, became more closely examined, new doubts necessarily existed, and to this hour the most penetrating and most celebrated natural philosophers are not agreed in their explanations of the phenomenon.

In respect to the fireballs which frequently appear in connection with the falling stars, are certainly nearly related to them, and allow us a better opportunity of investi gation, as they are larger and approach nearer, we consider the following facts established.

Fireballs are usually seen just when they have reached their greatest brilliancy, and burst asunder. Their beginning has been seldom observed. In such cases, however, which Chladni has carefully designated, there first appeared a distant streak of light,

of our present inquiry. For the fact that these meteoric masses differ from all other minerals of the earth has not been considered decisive as to their cosmic origin, inasmuch as it is held to be possible that such new minerals may be originated within our atmosphere, somewhat like the hail, merely out of materials evaporated from the earth.

which, as it approached nearer, rounded lyses have been made, which, however, itself into a ball; sometimes, also, several need not be here quoted, as they would streaks (e. g. at Utrecht in 1812), and contribute nothing towards the settlement these, too, crossing each other (as in England in 1799). This seems to indicate that the balls, as such, are formed in our atmosphere, and that the matter composing them flows together into a ball, from different directions, out of the higher regions of space, without having been previously united, or pursued its path anywhere in the firmament, as an independent, substantial body. To this, however, other examples are opposed. Chladni records many large fireballs, which took their course across an entire continent, were seen for hundreds of miles, and yet fell nowhere, but shot upwards again, and disappeared in the distant space of the heavens. He considered these to be independent bodies, which had accidentally approached our earth, but glided away again on meeting the atmosphere, and pursued their course in the blue vault around us.

The form of the fireballs is that of a round body, revolving rapidly on its axis, sometimes running to a point behind, pearlike, or extending far out in a fiery beam, sometimes emitting flames, throwing off glowing balls, or like a detonating rocket, leaving behind a long line of smoke.

Their color is usually red, sometimes even white, more rarely blue, and still more seldom green. The colors also sometimes vary in the same body (e. g. 1756, in Ireland); once the ball was red, the tail green (1817, in Hesse). In the fireball at Glasgow, 1752, the bright colors of the rainbow

were seen.

Many fireballs vanish without detonation, and without leaving any trace behind. Frequently, however, they burst with a very loud crash, which has been heard 40 German miles, and then they regularly throw out the so-called meteoric stones, or other materials. In modern days, a stoneshower of this kind has been frequently examined, immediately after its fall, and the oblique direction in which the fireball must have entered the atmosphere has been determined from the elliptical manner in which the stones were strewed abroad.

The dejected masses themselves are either meteoric iron or meteoric stone, sometimes more, sometimes less solid, always, however, so peculiarly composed of the same elements, that no similar composition can be found among the minerals of the earth. The chief ingredients are always iron, pyrites of sulphur, Olivin, Nickel, Chrome, Magnesia, etc. Very careful ana

Other substances, of a viscous nature, or like water, or dust, occur more rarely, and still less seldom allow us to believe them the products of bursted fireballs. The meteoric paper, supposed to have fallen from the heavens in Courland, in 1686, according to the latest investigations of Ehrenberg (Records of the Berlin Academy, 1838), consists of dry Confervæ (a spongy plant). The showers of red dust, since the recent inquiries of Agardt, in Lund, and of Agassiz, in Neufchatel, have been discovered to be microscopic seaweed, mingled with Infusoria. These, of course, can no longer be attributed to fireballs, falling stars, and cosmic influences.

A phenomenon observed in tempests, seems not unfrequently to have been confounded with fireballs: namely, flamessuch especially as rise up out of the earth or the sea, but also those which, falling downwards, sometimes assume the form of perfect fireballs, and move on, then in a moment stop again. Arago has adduced numerous instances, in an extended treatise on lightning, in his last annual. Similar balls are found in the noxious vapor of mines, revolving eolipiles, which grow larger and larger, and suddenly burst asunder with a flash and frightful detonation. MacGregor, in his description of the Canary Islands (German edition, p. 11), says that he has seen a fireball having the appearance of swimming on the surface of the ocean. In 1822, in the vicinity of St. Omer, fireballs were thrown out by a water-spout (Annales de Chemie et Physique, v. 24, p. 435). These electrical phenomena and gaseous appearances on the surface of the earth and of the sea, must not be confounded with those great phenomena, which come down from unmeasured heights, and throw whole continents into alarm.

Falling Stars are distinguished from Fireballs by a whiter, mostly phosphorescent light, denominated planetary, whilst the glaring red of the fireballs is somewhat solar. These stars, too, fall noiselessly; at least the rustling supposed to have been heard

in connection with them, is very question- | less, or floating down and up again in a able. Moreover, they leave no solid mate- wave-like line. But in those nights, when rial behind. The gelatinous substance, for a great shower of stars falls, they exhibit a a long time thought to be deposited by certain regularity in their forthcoming, them, is now well known to be a species of their diffusion, and their course. Alexanplant (tremella Nostoc). However, where der von Humboldt marked their direction, falling stars have reached the earth, there on the 12th November, 1799, to be chiefly has sometimes really been found, immedi- from the northeast towards the south; ately afterwards, a singular slime, which, Brandes, on the 10-11th of August, 1823, alas! has never been analyzed. It was seen principally from N. E. to S. W. Their first by Christian Menzel at Siena in 1652, course was just the same in 1832, and conby others in 1718, 1796, 1811, and last in sequently, in both cases, the opposite of the Massachusetts, N. A., in 1819. Comp. Gil earth's motion. They meet the earth in its bert's Annalen, vol. 55, p. 271; v. 63, p. annual revolution around the sun. In 55; v. 66. p. 329; v. 71, p. 354, and Schu- 1833, they all issued from the vicinity macher's Jahrbuch, 1832, p. 39). But solid of the star in the constellation of the meteoric stones have always been seen to Lion, and spread out from that point like a originate from fireballs, never from falling fan. So likewise, in 1834. On the other stars. Even that meteoric slime seems hand, in 1838, they came only in part from still problematical; at least, it must strike the constellation Leo, in part from that of us as remarkable, that in the few cases in Cancer, of Orion, and of the Great Bear, which it has been found, it has been in con- and indeed, shooting out again from these nection with a single shooting star, whilst four centres in divergent beams. the observer of the great showers of stars, when thousands fell at once, never mentions the deposit of any gelatinous or viscous substance, which, however, if it were the product of falling stars, ought then to ap-mena appear at the same time, and in conpear in very large quantities.

Falling stars appear, partly as small, quickly evanishing sparks, partly as long, rocket-like star-shootings, or large moonlike globes, with sparkling tails. The smaller ones, and those falling obliquely, are always pale; the bright ones are said to fall perpendicularly. Some put on the colors of the rainbow. Sometimes the tail continues to be luminous for minutes after the star itself has disappeared. In 1833 strange forms were seen; one sickle-shaped, another quadrangular. As the height of some of these falling stars has been reckoned at 100 miles, it would seem that they scarcely derive their light from the earth's atmosphere, but bring it with them; and yet they seem not to be constantly luminous, but evanish before our eyes, like rockets. They must also be proportionably smaller. The Prussian circumnavigator Meyen relates, that he saw a star fall between himself and the Cordilleras, so that the mountains served for the back-ground to its brilliant light. Perhaps, however, the most remarkable thing of all about these falling stars, is their velocity. Brandes has reckoned it at 5 German miles in a second. The course of the falling stars is of special importance. They have, indeed, been seen in all directions, shooting out from and towards all parts of the heavens, and although falling in immense numbers, yet rising in much

When the falling stars are numerous, we generally see also fireballs, like large meteors, intermingled with the smaller. But besides these, many other striking pheno

nection with the fall of stars: such as lightning, momentary flashing of the heavens, and, without a beam or a shooting meteor, long, luminous streaks, zodiacal light, aurora boreales, strange rednesses, singular clouds, storms, flood-tides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even unusual obscurations of the sun, and spots on its surface. All these appearances, some of them indeed very rarely, have been seen on the critical days (or nights) on which the great showers of stars usually return; either contemporaneously with the falling stars, or without them, as their complement and substitute. We must now, above all things, take cognizance of these critical days, as all phenomena which are similar acquire a greater significance from the fact, that they occur in points of time nearly related.

Already in ancient times, there were seen showers of stars falling in extraordinary numbers. As in 533, under the reign of the emperor Justinian, and in 763, under that of Constantine Capronymus. But there was no note of the date. In 1099 the month of November is first distinguished in this respect; at least, it is said in Vogel's Leipzig-Chronicles, that at that time, especially about all-saints' day,' there was seen an unheard-of number of falling stars, burning torches, and fiery darts in the sky. On the 7th of November, 1494, as is well known, the great meteoric stone fell at Ensisheim,

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