1811.] 
- Yo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
meer. { 
A. MONG the curious productions of 
nature and art, lately deposited in 
the {funterian Museum, at Glasgow, as 
mentioned in your last Number, page 
161, are “specimens of the only two 
meéteor-stones that are known to have 
fallen in Britain, viz. one in Yorkshire, 
18th of December, 1795; another at 
Possil, near Glasgow, Sth of April, 
‘2804.” 
From the above information, I should 
“suppose, that tlie instances of such stones 
| being known to fall from the clonds are 
very rare, at least in our own country, 
It may be interesting to some of your 
readers, to hear of a third well-authen- 
ticated instance. 
“Qn the 17th of May, 1806, as Mr. 
William Paice, of Busingstoke, Hants, 
was travelling with his cart a few miles 
from home, he met a person who en- 
“quired of him, whether he had seen a 
“stream of fire descend from the air, like 
“what is called a falling star; there 
‘having been some thunder just before. 
Mr. Paice had not observed it; but, 
going on a little farther; he found a large 
ball, or stune, on the middle of the road, 
which be took up while it was yet hot, 
threw it into his cart, and brought it 
home. Its external appearance resem- 
bles a metallic substance, similar to those 
‘stones sometimes met with in the fields, 
* and denominated thunder-stones. This 
| ball weighs two pounds and a half, and 
is preserved for the inspection of the 
curious, The writer of this article is in 
possession of several others of the same 
“kind. 
ey, It may not be unknown to some of 
your philosophicai readers, that the ce- 
' ‘lebrated French philosopher, La Plave, 
‘ ‘has given some reasons to show the pro- 
bability of such stones being discharged 
© from some great volcanoes in the moon, 
J. JerrEerson. 
Basingstoke, March 5, 1811. 
: eet 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
str, 
HE remarks of the 
i 
B mceret; in 
: your Magazine for February, page 5, 
* respecting religious toleration, as far as 
_ they relate to its justice and political 
utility, are judicious; but the means by 
£ which he proposes to effect, it, do mot 
‘Appear to me to be equally so. “Nay, 
they seem not only inadequate to the 
‘attainment of the end the Enquirer has 
_in view, but even subversive’ of it: for 
> 
Meteor-stone, found near Basingstoke. 
229 
they seem calculated to subject the 
members of the established church to a 
species of intolerauce equally novel and 
oppressive, without being likely to prove 
beneficial to dissenters of any descrip- 
tion. To aid the cause of religious to« 
leration, he proposes that the patron of 
a rectory should be at liberty tu present 
a clergyman to it of the religion he him- 
self professes; that a Goldsmid should 
present a rabhi;“a duke of Gratton, 
a Unitarian; a lord Petre, a Catholic. 
IT have yet to learn, how the right to pre= 
sent arabbi to a rectory could, in any 
degree, promote the cause of toleration, 
unless the greater proportion of the pa- 
rishioners professed the Jewish religion 
as well as the patron; which, whatever 
may be the aggregate tumber of Jews in 
England, is probably not the case in a 
single parish in the kingdom: Sacha 
measure might gratify the pride of ene 
individual, and increase the income and 
comforts of another ; it might please the 
patron, and enrich the rabbi; but-the 
object to be attained by the propesed 
measure, is of a widely different nature. 
The free and equal exercise of their re- 
ligion, by persens of all | persuasions, 
with the possession of an equal political 
importance, and a permanent support 
for their clergy, are the legitimate ob- 
jects of toleration, and not the exalta- 
tion of one sect by the depression of 
another, Then let ‘us ascertain if this 
end be likely tu be attained, by the 
means the HMnquirer proposes. There 
are many ‘parishes, particularly in the 
country, in which not a ‘single Jew re- 
sides. Suppose the living of such a 
parish were in the gift of a Jew, and he 
were to bestow it upon a rabbi, would 
this, in any shape whatever, promote the 
cause of toleration? Would it not rather 
have the very contraty ‘effect? ‘The 
parishioners must then either go to 
church, and join in the ceremonies of a 
strange religion, with the mysteries and 
language of which they are wholly wn- 
acquainted, or be altogether deprived of 
the means of attending divine worship. 
Thas, the most complete intolerance. ,. 
would be the result of the very means 
by which the Enquirer proposes to effect 
the contrary end. 
The same observations will, under si- 
milar circampstances, apply with equal 
force to the presentation to rectories of 
the clergyman of any other religion, 
except the established one, 
If a patron of a living, who is of a 
different religion from “the ‘established 
ulit, 
