a8 Experiments and Obferv atlons 



In the adjacent villagcg, the founds heard were taken for 

 guns at fea; but, at two adjoining villages, were fo diilinct 

 of fottiethini lingular pafling through the air, towards the 

 habitation ot Mr. Topham, that five or fix people came up 

 to fee if any thing extraordinary had happened to his houfe 

 or grounds. When the ftone was extracted, it was warm, 

 fmoked, and fmelt very ftrong of fulphur. Its courfe, as far 

 as could be collected from different accounts, was from the 

 fouth-weft. The day was mild and hazv, a fort of weather 

 very frequent in the Wold hills, when there are no winds or 

 itorms ; but there was not any thunder or lightning the 

 whole day. No fuch ftone is known in the country. There 

 was no eruption in the earth ; and, from its form, it could 

 not come from any building; and, as the day was not tem- 

 peftuous, it did not feem probable that it could have been 

 forced from any rocks, the neareft of which are thole of 

 Flamborough Head, at a di fiance of twelve miles*. The 

 neareft volcano I believe to be Hecla in Iceland. 



The exhibition of this ftone as a fort of mow, did not tend 

 to accredit the account of its defcent, delivered in a hand- 

 bill at the place of exhibition ; much lefs could it contribute 

 to remove the objections made to the fall of the ftones pre- 

 sented to the Royal French Academy. But the right hon. 

 Prefident of the Royal Society, ever alive to the intereft and 

 promotion of fcience, observing the (lone fo exhibited to re- 

 femble a ftone lent to. him as one of thofe fallen at Sienna, 

 could not be mined by prejudice : he obtained a piece of this 

 extraordinary mafs, and collected many references to de- 

 fcriptions of fimilar phenomena. At length, in 1799, an 

 account of ftones fallen in the Eaft Indies was fent to the 

 prefident by John Lloyd Williams, efq. which, bv its un- 

 queitionable authenticity, and by the Unking refemblance it 

 bears to other accounts of fallen ftones, inuft remove all pre- 

 judice. Mr. Williams has fince drawn up the following 

 more detailed narrative of facts. 



Account of the Explojion of a Meteor near Benares, in the 

 J'liijl Indies ; and of the Falling qffome Stones at the fame 

 Time, about 14 Miles from that City, By John Lloyd 

 Williams, Ffq. F.R.S. 



A circumftance of fo extraordinary a nature as the fall of 

 ftones from the heavens could not fail to excite the wonder 

 and attract the attention of every inquifitive mind. 



Among a fuperftitious people, any preternatural appear,- 

 ance is viewed with filent awe and reverence : attributing the 



* Extracted from the printed paper delivered at the place of exhibition. 



caufes 



