18 Professor Apjohn on a Meteoric Stone 



2nd. That they contain a sulphuret of iron decomposable by muriatic acid. 

 3rd. That they contain an earthy matrix consisting of silex, magnesia, and 

 oxide of iron. 



4th. That the above-mentioned alloy of iron and nickel is identical with 

 native iron. 



5th. That the earthy matter sparingly attached to native iron is of the same 

 nature with the matrix of meteoric stones. 



To these results of Howard, Laugler made an important addition by the dis- 

 covery of chrome as a component part of some aeroliths which he submitted to 

 chemical examination. 



From these sources alone, namely, the essay of Howard, and the paper just 

 mentioned by Laugier, was any knowledge I possessed on the subject of the com- 

 position of aeroliths derived up to the time of my entering upon, and in a great 

 measure completing the analysis of the specimen, to which I shall now proceed 

 to draw the attention of the Academy. 



The stone in question was given me by my friend, Daniel Reardon, Esq., of 

 this city, and is one of a shower which fell near Adair, in the county of Limerick, 

 in the year 1813. The shower is mentioned in Chladni's Catalogue, who states 

 that one of the stones weighed eighteen pounds, and refers for further particulars 

 to the Philosophical Magazine and Gentleman's Magazine of that period. I have 

 looked carefully through the former journal for 1813, and the seven subsequent 

 years, but have not been able to find the account referred to by Chladni. But 

 in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1813, part 2, page 390, the following brief 

 notice of the phenomenon occurs : — 



" At Adair, county of Limerick, six o'clock in the morning, a shower of 

 stones is stated to have fallen from a thunder cloud, extending about a mile and 

 a half, with a sound like the discharge of artillery, followed by a noise resembling 

 the rolling of drums. The air heavy and hot — several loud explosions — no 

 lightning. Several of the stones weighed from one to four pounds. They 

 are black outside, extremely heavy, much burned, and when broken of a dingy 

 grey." 



The mineralogical characters of the stone in my possession are so similar to 

 those assigned by the Count De Bournon to the specimens examined by Howard, 

 that a very cursory notice of them will be sufficient here. The weight is 1^ lb. 



