$$6 Hefte&ion and Ttefra&ion of Light 



weft, a violent rufliing noife was heard, as if the phenome- 

 non were bearing down the fbreft before it \ and, in a few 

 feconds after, there was a tremendous crafb, caufing a very 

 feniible earthquake. Search being afterwards made in the 

 place where the burning body fell, every vegetable was found 

 burnt, or greatly fcorched, arid a considerable portion of the 

 furface of the earth broken up. We have to lament that 

 the authors of this account did not fearch deeper than the 

 furface of the ground. Such an immenfe body, though 

 moving in a horizontal direction, could not but be buried to 

 a conquerable depth. Should it have been more than the 

 femblance of a body of a peculiar nature, the lapfe of ages 

 may perhaps effect what has now been neglected ; and its 

 magnitude and folitary fituatioii become the aftonifhment of 

 future philofophers. 



This leads me to fpeak of the folitary mafs of what has 

 been called native iron, which was difcovered in South Ame- 

 rica, and has been defcribed by Don Rubin de Celis. Its 

 weight was about 15 tons. The fame author mentions an- 

 other infulated mafs of the fame nature. The whole account 

 is exceedingly interefting; but, being already publidied in 

 the Philosophical Tranfa&ions for the year 1788, it needs 

 not be here repeated. 



Mr. Prouft has ihown the mafs particularly defcribed, not 

 to be wholly iron, hjut a mixture of nickel and iron. The 

 truftecs of the Britifh Mufaeum, who are in pofleflion of fonie 

 fragments of this mafs, fent to the Royal Society by Don 

 Rubin de Celis, have done me the honour to permit me to 

 examine them ; and 1 have great fatisfa&ion in agreeing with 

 a chemift fo juftly celebrated as Mr, Prouft. 



[To be continued.] 



LV. A Differtafiori on the Refleclion and llefratlion of Light 

 from Vapours, Fogs, Mi/is, &fc. ; with an Account of Jome 

 curious l'hecmmena proceeding from thole Canj'cs, fern in 

 Ireland in the Years T796, 17^7, and iBoj. By Wil- 

 liam Beauford, A.M. 



To Mr. Tilloch. . . ,. h o 



SIR, D-Jbhn, Aug. 8, 1R02. 



I 



F the following philofophic i n veil i gat ion pffome curious 

 phenomena, be adapted to your excellent publication, the 

 Philofophical Magazine, it is at your fervice. 



Of all the phenomena exhibited by nature in her various 

 operations, there are none more curious and extraordinary 



than 



