METEORITES IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES. 357 



different part of the world. The following is a translation 

 by Colonel Kirkpatrick from a contemporary Persian ac- 

 count of which he possessed the manuscript written by the 

 Emperor Jehangire himself. 



Fall of a Persian Meteorite. 



" Early on the 30th of Furverdeen, of the present year, 

 and in the Eastern quarter of the heavens there arose in 

 one of the villages of the Purgunnah of Jalindher, such a 

 great and tremendous noise as had nearly, by its dreadful 

 nature, deprived the inhabitants of the place of their senses. 

 During this noise a luminous body was observed to fall 

 from above on the earth, suggesting to the beholders the 

 idea that the firmament was raining fire. In a short time 

 the noise having subsided, and the inhabitants having 

 recovered from their alarm, a courier was dispatched by 

 them to Mahommed Syeed, the Aumil of the aforesaid 

 Purgunnah, to advertise him of this event. The Aumil, 

 instantly mounting his horse, proceeded to the spot where 

 the luminous body had fallen. Here he perceived the 

 earth, to the extent of ten or twelve guz in length and 

 breadth, to be burnt to such a degree that not the least trace 

 of verdure or a blade of grass remained ; nor had the heat 

 which had been communicated to it yet subsided entirely. 



" Mahommed Syeed hereupon directed the aforesaid 

 space of ground to be dug up ; when, the deeper it was 

 dug, the greater was the heat of it found to be. At length 

 a lump of iron made its appearance, the heat of which was 

 so violent that one might have supposed it to have been 

 taken from a furnace. After some time it became cold ; 

 when the Aumil conveyed it to his own habitation, from 

 whence he afterwards dispatched it in a sealed bag to court. 



" Here I had this substance weighed in my presence. 

 Its weight was 160 tolahs. I committed it to a skilful 

 artisan, with orders to make of it a sabre, a knife, and a 

 dagger. The workmen soon reported that the substance 

 was not malleable, bttt shivered into pieces tinder the hammer. 

 Upon this, I ordered it to be mixed with other iron. 



" Conformably to my orders, three parts of the iron of 



