25d *R*JPlfON3 Or 1CNAR VOLCANOS,' 



The lunar at- Tacuo . 7 he atmofphere of the moon cannot offer fo great ?e- 



molphere rchits ,-.-,,. 



little. nuance to tne motion of bodies as that of the earth, as it is 



certainly much rarer than ours, and probably its height is not 

 Whence bodies much greater than that of the lunar mountains. From allthefc 

 to the'earth? " ciffcumfttuicjQS taken together, I think it by no means impro- 

 bable that the volcanoes of the moon may occalionally p'rojeel 

 bodies with fufiicient force to carry them to the earth. 

 I remain, SIR^ 

 your's, 



J. B, 



OBSERVATIONS.— W. N. 

 Remarks on the Againft the conjecture of J. B. it feems to be a f)rinci£al 

 above letter j difficulty that the ftones fallen On the earth Are thought to have 

 arrived in a ffate of ignition, which they mull have preferved 

 through their immenie paflage from the moon. s If the meteors 

 or ignited globes be allowed to be ftones of the kind in quef- 

 tion, their extreme velocity in fome infbnces may be thought 

 to favor his hypothefis, But this fubjeel, like every other in 

 which the data are few, affords wide range for fpeculation. 

 When we reafon/ro/rc our ivant of knozvledge, there is fcarcely 

 any branch of fcience more favorable to the procefs than che- 

 wlth other very m ^y> We are ignorant of the component parts of the earths, 

 Ioofe conjee- the metals, oxigen, azote, hidrogen, &c. and of the very 

 exiftence of light, caloric, electricity, and magnetifm, as inde- 

 pendent bodies. Some, if not all of the former may be, and 

 molt probably are, compounded. We fee very fudden or in- 

 ftaiitaneous feparations of water, light and electricity from the 

 atmofphere. May not iron and nickel be among its ingre- 

 dients, and may they not by caufes equally unknown, be no- 

 lets rapidly ieparated, with the emiifion of light and heat? 

 Even if thefe metals exift in the atmofphere difleminated, fnf- 

 pended, or diflblved like aqueous vapors, (and we know they 

 emit effluvia perceptible to the fmell) their quantity may elude 

 all chemical tofts from its minutenefs, and ftill be fufficient to 

 nnfwer the phenomena. A cubic foot of air does not weigh 

 100 grains, and if one thoufandth part of this were metal, the 

 quantity contained in the air to the height of 500 feet over a 

 fingle field of ten acres would be about a ton and a half, of 

 which a fmali part being precipitated, would afford a prodi- 

 gious mower of Hones. 



VI. Enquiries 



