196 REPORT—1850. 
Nickel may nevertheless exist, though in small proportions, and we cannot 
venture on consuming more of these precious fragments, since the fused crust, 
the olivine, and the white matrix are chemical evidence enough of the me- 
teoric origin of the stone. 
The whole of the dust which had collected in the paper being carefully 
collected, was assayed both by the blowpipe and via humida for chromium, 
but no traces were detected. As said of nickel however above, so also of 
this substance, it may exist in minute proportion, though not deteetable in 
such extremely small assays. 
No. 33.—On the 7th of September, about half-past six Ρ.Μ.; a large fireball 
was seen at Poona to shoot from nearly north to south; it then made a 
sudden sweep, and proceeded nearly at right angles to its previous path. 
After being visible for five or six seconds, it split into a number of large 
fragments which rapidly descended towards the earth ; and these again broke 
up into lesser fragments, till they appeared to descend in a shower of sparks. 
Before the first bursting, the meteor was of exceeding brightness, of an in- 
tense blue colour, and at the instant of explosion it changed into red; it 
seemed to light up the whole heavens, though the moon was shining, so as 
to render the lesser stars visible. ‘The last meteor of the sort we remember 
at Bombay was seen in the sky in the middle of October 1844. Now is 
the season when a display of luminous meteors in all parts of the heavens 
may be looked for, the earth appearing in August and November to track a 
part of its orbit through which a current of these things rushes along.— 
Bombay Times, November 1, 1848. 
No. 34.—Meteor of 29th October 1848, observed at Poona and Bombay.— 
On Sunday evening, about seven o'clock, a magnificent fireball was seen to 
shoot across the air from nearly west to east, when its horizontal motion 
suddenly ceased, and it seemed to drop perpendicularly into the sea betwixt 
Mazagon and Sewree. At the time of its explosion—for such we may take 
that of its change of direction to have been,—its illuminating power was 
equivalent to that of an ordinary-sized blue light; it dazzled the eyes of those 
near it and who looked at it directly ; and though the evening was at the 
time perfectly dark, the most minute objects in the landscape were for ten or 
fifteen minutes made visible by it. It appeared to become extinguished some 
three or four hundred feet before touching the water. It left a long trail of 
light behind it, which was visible for the space of nearly half a minute. 
No. 35.—Meteor of 27th July 1849, observed at Porebunder.— Porebunder, 
2nd August 1849. On the night of the 27th of July, about half-past eight 
o'clock, a very bright meteor shot out from the northern sky. When first 
seen, its elevation was about 70°, and it fell nearly perpendicularly. Its fall 
was not very rapid, it being distinctly visible for about five seconds when it 
burst, leaving a large train of bright red spots to mark its track. The light 
was so bright as to attract the attention of persons whose faces were towards 
the south. At the time of its appearance the weather was calm and cloudy, 
a slight air now and then from the west, and scud flying rapidly from the 
same point. An hour afterwards heavy rain set in, which has continued 
almost without intermission ever since. The whole country in the neigh- 
bourhood is under water. Several houses have fallen down in the town, but 
no serious injury has accrued therefrom. Such a quantity of rain has not 
fallen in the Zillah for the last five years. 
No. 36.—WMeteor of 12th December 1849, observed near Shorapore.—Camp 
iver oad 
