SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 203 



aiul in some parts is considerably elevated, so as to partially screen 

 the farm-liouses from each other. The Schurfde Berg forms the west 

 boundary. About a mile from its base, towards the north, is the 

 farm-house of Rudolph van Heerden. The house of Barend Jooste 

 is about 6 miles from the latter in a north-easterly direction. The 

 house of Jacob Jooste is some miles further east, and the habitation of 

 Pieter du Toit seems to be about 15 miles S. E. of van Heerden's, so 

 that Jooste 's is north of a right line joining the latter. It is unneces- 

 sary to give separately the minute details of the examination of these 

 people with reference to the general character of the phenomenon, for 

 they all agi'ee in their description of it. Their attention was first ex- 

 cited by a violent explosion, followed by a rumbling noise, like that 

 from heavy waggons passing over stony ground. On looking up they 

 saw a blue stream of smoke, as if from fired gunpowder, passing over 

 from S. W. to N. E., viz., from the Schurfde Berg range, at a point 

 a little north of Van Heerden's, towards Pieter du Toit's At the in- 

 stant, the son of Van Heerden was standing between his house and the 

 Schurfde Berg, where he saw something fall, which he picked up. 

 The sky was cloudless, and no wind. His mother ran out of the 

 House, and observed another plunge into the swamp N. E. of the house, 

 where it sunk to some depth, from whence it was afterwards removed. 

 These positions are separated by about a mile, and were shown to us 

 by Mrs. Van Heerden. 2dly. Barend Jooste, with two servants, was 

 near the mountain south of his house at the moment of explosion. He 

 saw something descend to the ground, and where it struck, the grass 

 smoked. The meridian of this spot was shown to us by B. Jooste in 

 person, and the specimen is that sworn to by Kieviet in his affidavit. 

 3dly. A servant of Pieter du Toit's was standing near his master's 

 house. He saw something fall to the ground about a mile below the 

 garden, in the brushwood, which he ran towards and brought to his 

 master. The spot was shown to us by the servant. I did not enquire 

 to whom the specimen was given. Each of these persons assert, that 

 on approaching the meteorolites, they were so hot that they could not 

 be taken up in the hand ; also, that the sky was cloudless and calm. 



I have thus enumerated all that was seen falling at the moment of 

 explosion. But the curiosity of the people being excited, further 

 search was made. A mass was discovered on the road, N. E. of Van 

 Heerden's house, in fragments, broken apparently by striking the hard 

 ground. Barend Jooste found a lump which separated into fragments 

 on taking it up, owing, he thinks, to moisture before it was found. 

 He had parted with some of it; the remainder, weighing four pounds 

 less by half an ounce, he gave to us. Pieter du Toit found a quantity 

 in fragments on the road near his house ; and farther on towards Jacob 

 Jooste 's another, (the specimen first sent to Sir J. Herschel), and his 

 son found a third in the brushwood, N. E. of the house. The points 

 at Du Toit's, where these several specimens were discovered, are about 

 a mile from each other. If a zone of one mile in breadth and 16 

 miles long, is conceived to extend from the Schurfde Berg, near Van 

 Heerden's, to Pieter du Toit's, I believe all the points where the mete- 

 orolites fell will be found to lie within it. A small portion of this 



