Now that the Leonids liave come and gone, and about which astronomers have agitated themselves so much in recent years-an<l more particularly the year of IS!)!) when we are approaching the richest part of the stream, it will he interesting to knew tho opinion of a great authority on comets and meteors-Mr. W. F. Denning, to whom observers in many parts of the country have transmitted information of the phenomena witnessed during the nights and early morai«»s >f Nov Wiitiiig in "Knowledge," Mr. Denning says:-"On the whole the shower seems to have been decidedly poor, and goes far to prove that the earth has not yet encountered the really dense section of the eometary meteor-stream. It will be remembered that there were live displays ill eaeli of the years 1S56, 1867, and 1868. Tiu? next two years 1900 and 1901 may well bo expected to witness their recurrence. But 1he parent comet of the meteors (Teaapel I.. 18(i0>) passed through its perihelion last spring, and t<he earth mu6t have rccenily travelled through a part of the orbit uracil nearer the comct than the sections it will enC' uuter in tin; next two years. . . . But the weather is in a measure responsible for this, for :it many places the nights lolloping Mill and iotli November were densely overcast. At some stations, however, the sky was partly vicar, and a feiv Leon:is were seen in the moonlight, but only in very moderate numbirs. A brilliant, tisplay,
such as that ..{ 1703. 1813, or was entirely wanting. . . . 14-th November, 5" Leonids soon* in three hours-Oxford T'niversiiy Observatory. 1 tth November, about 17h. ti. 181: a.m., .98 meteors seen, including a splendid n'-m-L-onid. at 17h. l.'on., leaving a train visible for five minutes.-Sir Y>\ ,T. Hersehel." Alas! "the most majestic sight which it is given to man to witness"-so said Sir Norman Loekyer ill his circular of fith November on 1 iiis subject-has evaded us. nevertheless there are some among us v-iio vcmemb'r the superb display in 186H. and hero and ther-: one who can recall tl><Mill m ie a.st,)jiish:ijg speeincle presented bv falling Leonids in ISoli.
