FALLEN ON THE EARTH, 259 



*The President having done me the honour to fubmit his Other ftones of 

 L . , „ , L . , T ,. n • firailar origin, 



fpecimens of the Yorkfhire and Italian (tones to my examina- 

 tion, I became indebted to Mr. Greville and Mr. Williams 

 for a fimilar diftindtion : and, being thus, pofleffed of four 

 fubftances, to all of which the fame origin had been attributed, 

 the neceffity of defcribing them mineralogically did not fail to 

 prefent itfelf. To execute this tatk, no one could be more eager, 

 and certainly no one better qualified, than the Count de 

 Bournon. He has very obligingly favoured me with the fol- 

 lowing defcriptions. 



Mineralogical Defcription of the Various Stones /aid to have fallen 

 upon the Earth. By the Count de Bournon, F. R. S. 



THE (tones I am about to defcribe, are not of any regular Count Bournon'* 

 Hiape; and thofe which were found in an entire (tate, that is, tne var j ous 

 thofe which had not been broken, either by their fall or other- ftones. 

 wife, were entirely covered with a black cruft, the thicknefs 

 of which was very inconfiderable. 



The (tones which fell at Benares, are thofe of which the 

 mineralogical characters are the mod linking : I (hall therefore 

 begin the following defcription with them ; and (hall after- 

 wards make ufe of them, as objects of companion, in defcribing 

 the others. 



STONES FROM BENARES. 



Thefe (tones, as well as the others defcribed in this paper, Stones from 

 whatever may be their fize, are covered over the whole extent b ] er ^ res '>. . a 

 of their furface with a thin cruft of a deep black colour : they rough like fifh 

 have not the fmalleft glofs; and their furface is fprinkled over * 

 with fmall afperities, which caufe it to feel, in fome meafure, 

 like (hagreen> or fifh (kin. 



When thefe (tones are broken, fo as to (hew their internal Frafture ; coarfe 

 appearance, they are found to be of a greyifh afh colour ; and SjTcoio'u?" 

 of a granulated texture, very fimilar- to that of a coarfe grit- compofed of 

 none : they appear evidently to be compofed of four different £)" # fubftances i 

 fubftances, which may be eafily diftinguifhed, by making ufe 

 of a lens. 



One of thefe fubftances, which is in great abundance, appears Opake gray glo- 

 in the form of fmall bodies, fome of which are perfe&ly glo- cho!aat°ft^attft 

 bular, others rather elongated or elliptical. They are of various and flight luftre, 

 fizes, from that of a fmall pin's head to that of a pea, or nearly j^fwUhte"! 



k 2 fo : and abrading 



gbfej 



