The Meteoric Showers In November, 1833

The metooTic display of November 13, 1833, was by very f.ir the most remarkftble natural phenomenon I have ever witnessed. The event came unheralded, and took us all by surprise. I was residing at the time in McDonough, Honry County. Suffei-ing at the time from an inliamed eye, and beino- unable to sleep, I rose abouo one o Vloek on the night in question and went out to my kitchen for the purpose of lighting a lamp (lucifer matches had not then been invented, or had not at least come into use in that section). In passing into the kitchen I did not happen to look vip. But as soon as our cook (old Aunt Mary) opened the door she drew back in alarm, exclaimmg, " Lord, master, the world is coming to anend! Just look at the stars; tincare all falling!" My faith in the Scriptures (such as Matthew xxiv., 14, and others of the same Import) preeluded the idea of its being the end of the wnrld. and I was not alarmed. turning to my room, I preparad my wife for viewing the pheuomenon, which she did without undue excito mont. I thon sallied forth to arouso some of my neighbors. that they also might enjoy the wonderful display. The two nearcst were a lawyer and a preacher, both of whom were tenibly alarmed, and, despite my expostulations, greatly alarmed their wives. Without going further, I had my hands full endeavoring to restore them to some degree of composure. From one o'clock ntil daylight I witnessed the grand display. Looking upward, it secmed as if the meteors all started from a common center and feil in curving lines to the very earth, and tlicre were thousands, if not millions, of them in sight at the same moment, and every moment, until daylight put an end to the scène. It literaliy rained lire. Sometimes the shower would slacken for a moment or so, and then it would be renewed nntil the very heavens seemed to be ablaze. Some were brio-hter, some of paler hue, but they were all flre (or seemed so), and all were pouring down toward the earth. But I am attempting to do what I proniised myself I would not undertake - to describe a scène which no imagination can conceive, nortongne or pen portray. It was as cleai a night as I ever saw. I would fix my eyea on a given star, and in a few moments it would seem to f all, owing, Isuppose, to the fact that it was obscured by a passin meteor. The illusion was perfect. For two or three days ar'ter the occurrence the atmosphere was so smoky as to prevent the stars from bemg seen at night, and to cause the sun to look like a ball of fire in the daytime, upon which one might gaze with the naked ej'e without pain. A few occurrenees connected with the event may interest your readers. In Covington, Newton County, at three o'clock, the church bell was rung, and the whole population was aroused, who repaired to the meeting-house and spent the remainder of the night in devotional exereises. The gold mines in Paulding and adjacent cnunfrs had drawn together inany adventurers - miners and gamblers. A gentleman direct from that section informed me that soon after midnight guns were fired, horns blown, and the sleepers for miles were aroused. The gamblers threw their car ds in the üre, enemies mnde friends, a'id there was such praj ing as was never heard in that section bcfore, and, pemaps, has liever been heard sinee. Only a few days after the phenomenon I was passing from McDonough to Zebulon, and stopped ■ to spend the night with a friend. He had two Northern men employed erecting a mili on a small stream near his residence, the eider one of whom had been a seafaring man. As soon as I arrived the "falling of the stars" became the subject of couversation. Seeing the Northern men coming over the hill, my friend said: "Engage those men - especially the eider one- in conversation on the subject." Supper over, I nianaged to draw them out. The older one said: " I have spent most of my life on the sea, and have passed through many dangers. But I never had to look death andetemity so squarely in the face before. You know, parson, that sailors believe in the North star. Well, I saw that the other stars were falling, but I thought that as long as the North star keptits place all was safe. So I went out there and sat on the ground, with my back against the ehimney (it was a rock ehimney), and thenlwatched that star, trying ñot even to wink. In a few minutes it cut loose, and here it came. And then, parson, I feil on my knees and did some of the tallest praying you ever heard, and I have not sworn an oath since.1' He had been dreadfully profane. I have secn many peoplo since who have waited for the "North star to