146 



XI. — Description of a Meteorite which fell at Allport in 

 Derbyshire. By Robejrt Angus Smith, Ph. D. 



Read, December 24, 1849. 



AutJientication^—'TuE substance to be described was giveiv 

 me by Mr. Benjamin Stalj, a gentleman long connected 

 with mining in Derbyshire and Wales, and accustomed to 

 observation in the departments of mineralogy and natural 

 history. He obtained the specimen himself, and preserved 

 it carefully; but he has unfortunately forgotten the exact 

 date, and, having moved about considerably, has not pre- 

 served the memoranda concerning it. Somewhere about 

 the year 1827, at the end of August or beginning of Sep- 

 tember, about three o'clock in the afternoon, a meteor was 

 seen moving along slowly. It was watched by many per- 

 sons, and was observed to approach the ground near Allport, 

 and burst with a loud report. It fell on a field of mown 

 grass, and fragments were scattered about in all directions. 

 Numerous pieces were picked up by persons in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and it is rather sui-prising that there should have 

 been no description given of it. The piece which I re- 

 ceived from Mr. Staly, was picked up by him about eighteen 

 hours after he had seen the meteor, and heard the explosion 

 or report. 



Description. — This meteorite is therefore very well au- 

 thenticated, although the year and the month are both 

 forgotten ; and, even without any such direct testimony, it 

 is a substance which cannot fail to be interesting from its 



