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Notice respecting the Fall of an Aerolite, near Juvinas, in the 

 Bepartment of the Ardeche, in France,' witnessed on tht 

 \hth June\%2\. By Professor Forbes. Communicated by 

 the Author. -_ -^■'^~' 



Last summer, I spent several days in the remote little town 

 of Montpezat, in the Department of the Ardeche — formerly 

 the Haut Vivarais — examining the interesting extinct vol- 

 canoes in the neighbourhood. I accidentally learned that I 

 •was within a few miles of the spot where a meteoric stone had 

 been seen to fall not many years ago, and resolved to devote 

 a day to endeavour to obtain an account of the phenomenon 

 from eve -witnesses, and to procure a specimen of the mass. 



The place mentioned to me as that where the stone had 

 fallen, was the hamlet of Libounet or Libounez, between St 

 Pierre Colombier, in the valley of Burzet, and the village of 

 Juvinas, the capital of the commune. After a walk of five or 

 six miles, thi'ough a country of exquisite beauty, I arrived at 

 Libounez, situated among trees, on the northern slope, but 

 very near the bottom of a steep valley, of no great extent, 

 which communicates -with that of Burzet. Every body in the 

 neighbourhood speaks of the f\ill of the meteor as an event of 

 yesterday, and one never to be forgotten. The field where it 

 fell was immediately shewn to me, a small enclosure jvist be- 

 low the village. I inquired for the actual spectators of the 

 fall Dolmaas, who had been mentioned to me, was dead ;• 

 but with some difficulty I found two brothers, named Serre, 

 who were working with some others at their potatoes when 

 the stone fell amongst them. One of these men gave in his 

 Patois a most animated account of the scene, and their ter- 

 ror. With the aid of an interpreter, I extracted the follow- 

 in"- particulars, agreed upon by those present whom I ques- 

 tioned. 



The stone fell in June 1821— sky clear and wind north— 

 at 4i P.M. A long roll was heard, then an explosion like a 

 cannon, five muautes before the stone fell. It touched the 

 ground within a few feet of them,, which it perforated to a 

 depth oC seven palms (5^ feet), in a vertical direcHon. Ifr 



