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XXXIV. Proceedings of Learned Socielies, 

 ROYAL SOCIETV OF LONDON. 



HURSDAY, February 25. A letter from Mr. Schroter, 

 of Lilicuthal, rcfpe6ling llie planet Ceres Fcrdinandea, in- 

 formed the Society that he had obferved a nebulofity round 

 the new planet fomewhat refembling that of a comet : 

 the diameter of the true difc being I'S''^, and that of the 

 nebula 2*6"; but the dillinftion was not always equally ob- 

 fervable. ]\lr. Schroter confiders this body as of a hybrid 

 nature, or a medium between a planet and a comet; but he 

 imagines the apparent nebulofity to be owing to an atmo- 

 fphere, and that, according to the dit^'erent ftates of this at- 

 mofphere, the light reflefted from the planet is either white, 

 blueifh, or reddim. 



A table of obfervations of the fame planet was alfo com- 

 municated by Mr. Mechain, through Sir Henry Englefield. 



In the meetings of the 25th of February, 4th and 1 ith of 

 March, a paper which has been cxpe6led for fome time oc- 

 cupied the attention of the Society ; namely, Mr. Howard's, 

 on the analyfis of ftones that have fallen from the clouds. 



Mr. Howard begins with a hiftorical detail of the various 

 relations of this kind which are found on record, and par- 

 ticularly refers to the elfays of Mr. King and profelfor 

 Chladni, and to various authors quoted by them. But the 

 firll inftances with which chemiliry has interfered are ihofe 

 ot a ftone prelentcd to the French Academy by the abbe 

 Bachclay in 1768; and another examined afterwards by pro- 

 felfor Barthold. The Hones from Sienna in 1 794 ; the large 

 ftone of 56 lbs. weight which fell in Yorklliire in 1795, and 

 was exhil/ited foon after in London; and the fubllances which 

 fell at lieiiares in J 798, arc the immediate lubjeiils of Mr. 

 Howard's invcftigation. All tliefe agree in the general ap- 

 pearance of an a(li-gray (lony fubllance, mixed with fpanglcs 

 of pyrites and of native iron, "and externally of a dark colour, 

 covered with a fenii-viliified and blillered cruft. The abbe 

 Bachelay't; was fuppofed to contain 8; fulphur, 36 iron, and 

 5!i'i earth ; and fonie of the others were found to confdt of 

 limilar ingrc<licnts. 'J'lic (h)nc which fell near Mr. Topham's 

 boufc in Yorkdiire, penetrated twelve inches deep into the 

 earth, and fix more into a chalk rock: its fall was accom- 

 panied with noiles like u dilcharge ot artillery, A very par- 

 ticular and prrlirlly authenticated account is given, m the 

 words of Mr. Williams, of feveral fubllances wliith fell about 

 M 3 twelve 



