On the Origin of Meteoric Stones, 75 



same tier by mere contact. It appears to the operator, that the 

 best way of preparing a bar for an electro -magnet of \cry large 

 size, 'would be to have it made up of several small bars, by 

 fagotting and welding. I have the honour to be, Sir, your 

 obedient servant^ (p. ^. 



ON THE ORIGIN OF METEORIC STONES. By F, G. FiSCHER, 



Esq, 



Among the multitude of wonderful occurrences which, within 

 no remote period, have been passing in the moral, political, and 

 cvjeh in the physical worlds meteoric stones unquestionably be- 

 long, the descent of which from the atmosphere was formerly 

 comprehended among the number of nursery tales, but the reali- 

 ty of which has been so triumphantly shewn by Chladni. 



Since this singular fact has been placed beyond all doubt by 

 frequent and unequivocal observations, the ingenuity of natural- 

 ists has been exhausted to explain it. But every explanation 

 which has been attempted, at least such as have come into re- 

 pute, rest upon assumptions not less extraordinary than the fact 

 to be explained. 



Chladni's explanation seems to have come most into vogue, 

 wlio regards them as insulated masses wandering in free space, 

 whkh, on accidentally coming within the sphere of the earth's 

 attraction, are born down by the force of gravity. I am not 

 aware that he has any where attempted an explanation of the 

 origin of such masses, of which there must be an immense pro- 

 fusion in the bounds of space ; they must, however, be consider- 

 ed either as materials for the construction of new worlds, or as 

 the fragments of shattered systems, unless we attach to them no 

 manner of importance whatever. Besides this obscurity of their 

 origin, their peculiar ^chemical composition, in all nearly alike, 

 appears to me nearly inexplicable. 



The idea of their being projected from volcanoes in the moon, 

 seems to be still more extravagant, although La Place has shewn, 

 by computation, that the requisite velocity at the outset is not 

 altogether inconceivable. The great number of meteoric stones, 

 and those various directions of their motions, which appear to 

 have no relation to the position of the moon, cannot be made in- 

 telligible without new and equally extraordinary assumptions. 



