northern light, and so also on the 13-14 November, 1839, at Königsberg and London. At the latter place a very dense fog followed on the 15th.

Earthquakes have also been felt on the critical days, from the 12th to the 14th of November, yet we must be cautious about attributing much importance to this concurrence, as the most fearful earthquakes have most frequently occurred, not just on these, but on entirely other days. A complete explanation of them will be found in the recently published history of earthquakes, by Von Hoff. Here we find, from 1318 to 1832, scarcely twenty years in which earthquakes were noticed on the 12-14 November. Only a single case seems to us worthy of remark in respect to periodicity: namely, on the 13th November, 1646, a volcano burst out in Palma, one of the Canary Islands, and on the same day, 1677, there was a terrible earthquake on the same island. We may here also adduce the repetition of eruptions of Etna, on the 15th November, 1802, and the 12th November, 1832: as also the remarkable volcanic eruption in Kampschatka on the 12th November, 1789.

in Alsace. Then under the year 1574 we find, in Vogel's Chronicles, that on the 15th of November, large and terrific beams of fiery light were seen during the night. Similar appearances are noted in the same work, as having occurred on the 7th of November, 1637, and the 16th, 1661. Had these Chronicles, to which I shall yet more than once refer, been already carefully collated, we should probably have found there many remarkable testimonies of great importance to science. I can only give here some few contributions out of these volumes, as also out of the Meteorological Annals of the old Breslau Collections, which have been hitherto little consulted, but are of great weight in respect to the subject under consideration. In the latter, there is mention made, under the 10th of November, 1688, of a large moonlike meteor, which passed off with an explosion; under the 12th November, 1721, of a great fire-flash or flame-emitting comet; and under the 13th November, 1719, 1721, and 1722, of an aurora borealis. Herewith it is to be remarked, that in 1721, on the first mentioned day (the 12th), a fireball was seen, and on the second (the 13th), the northern light-variations which we still Another coincidence is also, without see frequently occurring. On the 13th of doubt, full of significance. Every one November, 1822, there was an extraordi- knows the high storm-tide, by which Penarily dense fog in England (Froriep's tersburg was threatened with destruction, Notices, iv. p. 214). On the 12-13 No- on the 17th Nov. 1824. A similar tide, alvember, 1824, at Maintz, a fireball was seen, most exactly at the same time, one hundred and an earthquake felt; both also in Tusca- years earlier, had threatened to overwhelm ny, together with a dense mist. Fearful the same place, then scarcely arisen yet out hurricanes were experienced on the Caspian of the Finnish marshes, on the 16th Nov. sea, from the 12th to the 14th Nov. 1826. 1724. Shall we not then be tempted to In 1822, on the 12-13th November, the conjecture, that the meteors of the 12-14 phenomena were strikingly various. There Nov. exerted an influence on the currents were seen not only throughout Europe fall- of wind and ocean, which, setting forth upon ing stars (innumerable at Orenburg, Rus- the surface of the earth, had, some days sia), but at Warsaw and Köln lightnings, at later, effected the storm-tide in the Finnish Odessa a meteor like the aurora, and at sea, and that in this fearful phenomenon of Lüttich a flash, from which unfolded itself nature a certain regularity prevails, though a kind of curtain of light, and then rolled its periods can only be measured by centuitself up again, and glistened in the bright-ries? Yet, where so few facts lie before est colors of the rainbow. On the same us, we must refrain from conjectures. day occurred one of the most frightful eruptions of Etna. On the 17th November, 1836, falling stars were again seen in North America, and at the same time, the aurora borealis; on the 12-13 November, 1837, in North America, innumerable falling stars, without the aurora; in England, the aurora, without the falling stars. (This last case is noticed by Hind, of England, in the Literary Gazette, 31 October, 1840.) On the 12-13 November, 1838, at Vienna and Bremen, there appeared again, at the same time, falling stars and the

So much for the celebrated November days, whose annual return is now so eagerly looked for, by all the friends of astronemy and meteorology, and whose phenomena have been, for some time, so regularly observed and compared, that we may hope, from year to year, to approach nearer to an understanding of them. But we were not content with this terminus alone. When curiosity was once excited, and the inqui rer's vision sharpened, still more extended critical days were discovered and br into certain mutual relations.

Naples, for instance, has designated as crit- | ever, are very infrequent. I find only the ical meteoric days, besides the 13th of No- 30th of Nov. 1744 distinguished by an vember, the 29th of the same month, and eruption of Cotopaxi. In respect to the also the 29th of July and the 10th of Au- connection between the 29th and 13th of gust. (Echo du Monde savant, 26 August, November, it must be observed, that in 1824, Ausland, of the same year, No. 251.) Philadelphia two earthquakes occurred in He supposes that the earth, in its course succession, precisely on the 29th of Nov. round the sun, passes twice through the 1800, and on the 12-13 Nov. 1801. path of this host of falling stars, which is thus at each time cut into two parts, once in summer, once in the late autumn. The phenomena of the 29th of July he connects with those of the 10th of August, and those of the 29th of November with those of the 13th. The autumnal meteors, however, are more numerous and more striking than those of the summer, and, separately considered, those of the 13th of Nov. and 10th of Aug. more abundant than those of the 29th of Nov. and 29th of July.

The 10th of August and the days immediately preceding and following, are distinguished less by fireballs and falling stars than by other phenomena. I find the following notices in ancient works. On the 11th of August, 1561, according to Vogel's Leipzig-Chronicles, there was seen, in the forenoon a very remakable red meteor, emitting frequent flashes of light, of course in bright day. There is much information of this kind recorded in the above-mentioned Breslau Collections. It is there And indeed the traces of these critical stated, under the year 1717, October, p. days and of their interchangeable relations 218, that numerous meteors had been seen can be followed up far into the past. The at Freyburg in Uechtland, in August, 1715, 29th of Nov., as complement to the 13th, (the day is not noted). On the 10th of Aupresents little that is striking. On this gust, 1717, a large fireball was seen at the day meteors have been rarely seen, which same time in Lusace, Silesia, Poland and may, however, be in consequence of little Hungary. On the 8th of Aug. 1723, numeattention having been directed to it. Ac-rous falling stars appeared in many parts cording to Vogel's Leipzig-Chronicles, of the heavens, like fire-flies.' On the 12th there appeared on the 30th of Nov. 1663, a of Aug. 1724, stella cadentes were again large cross, and other signs in the skies. seen. To this multitude of August meteIn the ten years of the preceding century, ors there are no corresponding November of which we have accurate meteorological meteors. During the years 1716-1726, of observations, recorded in the Breslau Jahr- which the Collections give more particular bücher, we find something valuable: viz., accounts, there occurred only a single fireunder the 28th Nov. 1719, and 2nd Dec. flash, as it is called, on the 12th Nov. 1721; 1723, fireballs ; under the 29th Nov. 1720, an as a compensation, however, for the fireballs aurora borealis, and under the 27th Nov. and falling stars, there were frequent north1725, a remarkable 'dirty and dense fog.' ern lights. Is there perhaps a variation in If other decennia had been as accurately the brightness and the strength of the phenoted, probably many more phenomena nomenon? May it be that, for a length of would have been seen on those days. How- time, the August meteors, and then again ever, in most recent times, in which accu- the November-meteors prevail? And does rate observations have been made again, there lie in this variation, perhaps, the reaCapocci has recorded the falling of meteoric son why the regular recurrence of the phestones on the 29th of Nov. 1809, 1830 and nomenon has not been much earlier observ1839; on the 28th, 1810 and 1822; on the ed?-In modern times only the 10th of 30th, 1821; on the 27th, 1824; and on the Aug. 1815, and the 10-11 of Aug. 1823, 26th, 1831; a storm-tide in the mouths of have been distinguished by falling stars. the Elbe is also reported on the 26-28 of On the 13th of Aug. 1823, Hansteen saw a Nov. 1825, a strange submundane thunder falling star in clear daylight, for a second frequently occurring on the same day of and a half. through the telescope (Froriep's the year at Bessarabia, and a tremendous Notices, xiv. 168). A fireball with mist and storm in London on the 29th of Nov. 1839. earthquake was seen in Tuscany on the Von Hoff, too, has designated an astonish- 12-13 of Aug. 1824. Earthquakes in gening number of earthquakes, which have eral occur (according to Von Hoff's work) been experienced on the 29th of November, but seldom on these days; yet they were and generally between the 28th and 30th. felt in the Pyrenees on the 10th of Aug. More than twice as many have occurred on 1784, and on the 11th, 1797. On the other these days as on the 13th of November. hand, we must notice the proportionably The volcanic eruptions on these days, how-greater number of volcanic eruptions.

The 29th of July has as yet been but very within a decennium several remarkable little investigated. According to Vogel's meteors have appeared. In February: on Leipzig-Chronicles, there fell a great star the 21st, 1718, an aurora borealis ; on the from heaven on the 26th of July, 1568, fol- 22nd, 1719, a large fireball, observed at the lowed by stormy winds and earthquakes. same time in Italy, Switzerland, Suabia, There is nothing of moment, meteorologi- Bohemia, and Silesia; on the 22d, 1720, cally, as to the July days, in the Breslau an immense red cross at Novogorod and Collections. Von Hoff represents earth- Kiew; on the 23d, 1721, an aurora; on the quakes as rather frequent on those days. 19th, 1722, a huge fireball. In March on A meteoric stone fell on the 29th of July, the 29th and 30th, 1719, there were seen 1840. The subsequent new comparisons in France large fiery meteors, on the 27th, may be of importance, as they certainly 1723, numerous stella cadentes, and on the shed surprising light over the relations of 17th, 1716, 22nd, 1718, 25th, 1722, 24th, the different critical days to each other. 1724, and 24th, 1726, the northern lights; In the Basle-Chronicle of Urstisius, I find so that the 22-25 of March of the precedunder the year 1566, on the 28th and 29th ing century, corresponds with the 12-14 of July, the sun and moon became blood- of November, in respect to the frequency red, and on the 7th of August, this striking of auroras (not of fireballs and falling stars). phenomenon was repeated. And in the Hence it is apparent that, if Mr. Capocci Frankfort-Chronicle of Lersner, under the had made his observations a hundred years year 1694, on the 29th of July, the heavens, earlier, he must doubtless have fixed on without wind or rain, were full of fiery other critical days. flames, as also again on the 9th of August. According to the same Chronicle a remarkable redness of the sun occurred on the 29th of July, 1575. From Von Hoff's work on earthquakes we learn farther, that there were frequent outbursts of flame from Vesuvius precisely on these critical days of July and August. They took place, for example, on the 28th of July, 1707, 29th, 1779, and on the 28th, 1790, on the one hand; and on the other, on the 12th of Aug. 1682, 7th, 1767, and 8th, 1832.

We conclude here our review of the facts, and proceed to essay an explanation of them, whilst we reserve to ourselves, before concluding, the presentation of still more enigmatical facts, requiring yet deeper reflection.

On the principle, that far-fetched explanations must not be resorted to, when we have them nearer at hand, it seems questionable to many naturalists whether we ought to attribute a cosmic origin to meteoric fires and lights. They prefer to exFinally, the connection of the 29th of plain these phenomena as belonging excluJuly with the 29th of November is striking. sively to our planet, as atmospheric. AlOn the former day remarkable earthquakes ready prior to Chladni and Humboldt, before occurred at the Antilles, in two successive general observation had been directed to years, 1784 and 1785; and the same phe-this subject, Lavoisier and Volta had occanomena took place in the same islands on sionally spoken of the rise of vapors into the 30th of November, again, of 1824, 1825, the higher regions of our atmosphere, and and 1826. in them found the origin not only of the

As striking, however, as these coinci-northern lights, but also of other meteoric dences are, yet it is not superfluous to add lights, which do not, like the lightning, behere a warning. Caution is perhaps need- long to the lower atmosphere. Reynolds ful in discovering critical days. Fireballs assumed, instead of vapors, fine minera. and falling stars have been observed at all particles, which thus ascended to the upper times of the year. Very frequently the re-regions. Dalton supposed them to be origipeated appearance of them on a certain day nated from indeterminate gases which did of the year has probably been accidental in not arise from the earth, but must have itself, or has only been accidentally observ-been formed just beyond our atmosphere ed and denoted. If there had, always and out of bases foreign to us; indeed it apeverywhere, been a sharp lookout and a careful recording of phenomena, we should soon have had many more than the four given critical days, indeed but too many. I shall only remark, by way of example, that in the Breslau Collections, in which only three of the critical days of Capocci play an important part, the fourth none at all, there are found some particular days, on which

peared probable to him, even that between our inferior atmosphere, in which the vapory meteors, rain, hail, lightning occur, and that superior region of foreign gases, there exists a mutual repulsion.

Alexander von Humboldt, with that peculiar moderation and profoundness for which he is distinguished, has always preferred to wait for some new development of

copper, zinc, etc.; which, however, is by no means the case. It must certainly be of the highest importance to the advocates of the atmospheric hypothesis to become more intimately acquainted with the constituent elements of those highest regions of vapor ; and to this end, have Egen and Ideler first contributed any thing of importance. J. W. Ritter also has already, in the 16th vol. of Gilbert's Annals, explained the me

realis and the electrical developments of the storm, as telluric phenomena, and has assumed periods of from 9 to 10 years within which the activity of these atmospheric processes rises to its height and abates again. Among the Italians, Belani affirmed the atmospheric origin of falling stars, whilst he explained them to be inflammable gases, dispersed in streaks through the upper air (Giornale di Fisica in Froriep's Notices, V. 246). Meyer, in Schweiger's Journal (Bd. XII. p. 412), made the very interesting remark, that the greater number of meteoric stones and fireballs occur at the time when the moon (seen from the sun) is hasting on its course, consequently in the last quarter, and usually when she is in one of her nodes. But he is very far from holding that these phenomena proceed from the moon, believing, on the contrary, in their purely atmospheric origin.

physics, rather than to anticipate it by any decisive opinion. So in this case also he has stimulated to observations, and that by his own example, without tying himself down to any hypothesis. Yet he seems to give a preference to that explanation which attributes to them the nearer origin, at least inasmuch as he speaks, in his g eat Travels (German edit. Bd. II. p. 296), of a more frequent occurrence of meteors in the equinoctial regions, on the coasts, teoric fires, together with the aurora boand in the vicinity of volcanoes, and throws out the quere, whether perhaps the electric charge of the lower atmosphere does not operate on the higher regions, out of which the falling stars proceed? Many others of the Berlin circle of savans affirmed the atmospheric origin of these phenomena. So C. G. Fischer, who in the discussions of the Berlin Academy of 1820, proposed the view, that fireballs and falling stars are enkindled from oleaginous mundane vapors, which ascend from the earth above the rainzone, and with their fiery explosions and ejections, penetrate the regions of aqueous meteors. Ideler also, in a volume of his published at Berlin in 1832, asserts the atmospheric origin of fireballs in special relation to the northern lights. The elements, however, out of which they are formed, seem to him to be of an organic nature. He thinks they are diffused above the lower atmosphere, and that the processes going on On the other hand, the celebrated astrothere are originated by changes of tempera- nomer Lalande has maintained that meteorture, as are those of the inferior regions of ic stones are really ejected from volcanoes in the air. Towards the poles, these fine mate- the moon (moon-stones). Benzenberg has rials become combined in forming the north-affirmed the same, in a treatise published at ern light; towards the equator, discharge themselves in fireballs and shooting stars; yet that medial states or processes occur in the same, characterized by remarkable mists, lofty columns of smoke, and sometimes very high luminous clouds. The organic came forth significantly, however, to the aid of the matter in dispute, in the Alga and Infusoria of the red snow, sulphurous rain, etc. We have here to do with atmospheric organisms. No less acutely did Egen (in Gilbert's Annals, Bd. 75) maintain the atmospheric origin of these meteors, founding his opinion principally on the metallic elements found in meteoric stones, and believed the material out of which they were in part formed to be the immense quantity of metallic vapor which daily ascends from mines, etc. Meanwhile, some elements of meteoric stones could not be derived from this source, as for example, Nickel. Then, again, besides iron, there ought to be found oftener in meteoric stones other metals more frequently evaporated from the earth, such as

Bonn in 1834, and very recently, too, the great and highly respectable chemist Berzelius has thrown out this view (Poggendorf's Annals, Bd. 33). He has subjected the meteoric stones to most careful chemical analysis, and distinguished two principal species of stones which are not found on our globe, and which he thinks can be considered nothing but stones ejected from two different lunar volcanoes. But independently of the fact, that the crystalline structure of the meteoric stones, the remarkable triple crossings observed in them (the so-called Widmannic figures) and the absence of all scoria (except on the surface) appear not to indicate a volcanic origin, Chladni has triumphantly shown, that a stone falling from the moon to the earth, must come to us with the velocity of 35,000 feet in a second, whilst this far exceeds that of fireballs and falling stars. Finally, it cannot be supposed that a stone falling down from the moon could remain stationary in the air for seconds and min

utes, then proceed on its way, and mount up again in a curved course; all which has been observed in fireballs. If at last the view of Berzelius should ever be confirmed, we should with justice complain of our treacherous satellite moon, for having been shooting at us, incessantly, for thousands of years, out of her two volcanic craters, as out of a pair of huge cannons, the almost innumerable meteoric stones already enumerated by Chladni.

of attraction, and fall down upon the planets: the comets, on the other hand, sweep on freely among the planets, and follow only the attraction of the sun. This primary matter, or the aggregate of atoms, out of which fire-meteors and comets are formed, must be distributed through the solar system in certain magnetic currents, in such manner that the earth in its annual course comes in contact with it only on particular days; and these are the days or nights, on which the meteors are seen in such numbers (Echo du Monde savant, 26 Aug. 1840.)

Chladni and Bergmann (independently of him and almost at the same time) were the first to assert the cosmic origin of firemeteors. Chladni believes that they come Professor Wildt went still farther, who from parts of space in the solar system, even represented fireballs and falling stars where our earth exercises no attractive as small planets. He calls them (in Voigt's power, foreign bodies from a distance great- Magazine, Bd. 9, p. 408,) remains of a shater than that of our planets, and that they tered planet. As already the four asteroids, may be first ignited by friction on the cir- by the peculiar combination of their paths, cumference of our atmosphere. Now it was lead us to consider them as fragments of a of importance to compare these new-comers single larger planet, which perhaps formerof our solar system with those already ly occupied that space alone, in which we known. They were entirely too insignifi- now find them, so may the fireballs and fallcant in size to be considered planets. Nor ing stars be looked upon only as remains, could any well venture, at first, to regard complements, even as a gleaning, of the last them as comets revolving round the sun. It and least remains of that shattered planet. was conjectured that they might, although Olbers, on the contrary, the celebrated assweeping far away beyond us in space, tronomer, was inclined to regard fireballs as nevertheless be connected with the earth, comets of a diminished scale, and it appearand related to it as comets to the sun. Zach ed to him, as if an immense host of them calls them earth-comets; Farey, very small revolves regularly around the sun and satellites of the earth. reaches the plain of the earth's orbit in that part through which it annually passes from the 10th to the 14th of November. If the earth also meets such hosts of falling stars on other days, then it may be that there are several of them, which further investigation may prove. (Schumacher's Jahrbuch of 1837, p. 60.)

The circumspect and cautious experimenter Von Hoff, after all the experience hitherto possessed, found no reason to assign these small bodies to any one of the larger of our solar sy stem, either to the sun or to the earth, nor to subordinate them exclusively to any one. He says (Poggendorf's Annals, Bd. 36), that they become ignited by a kind of gaseous matter, which is diffused abroad amid the heavenly bodies, without belonging to the atmosphere of one or another; which, however, coming in contact with our earth in its course round the sun, is then first formed by a physicochemical process into a mass (hence the internal crystalline structure), and becomes immediately enkindled (hence the vitrified surface of the meteoric stones). The Neapolitan savant Capocci, however, goes a little farther in this view. He makes fireballs and falling stars the immediate relatives of the comets, and holds the opinion, that both are originated out of this primitive matter, or out of the atoms diffused amid the heavenly bodies, and indeed by means of the attraction of these bodies. The smaller formations of this kind, fireballs and shooting stars, yield to the power

It is evident how entire and irreconcilable is the opposition between the purely cosmic and the purely atmospheric hypotheses. On the one hand, the fire-meteors are taken to be substantial comets, or perhaps planetary bodies, which, entirely independent of the earth, yield only to the greater attraction of the sun; on the other, they are supposed to be mere vapors, which rise up out of the earth and are discharged with an appearance of lightning, consequently something infinitely smaller. The advocates of the atmospheric doctrine say, with Shakspeare:

"The earth has bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them."

And yet, incongruous as the two hypotheses are, we feel compelled by the real circumstances, to attempt an accommodation.