Another Stone from the Clouds . 371 



system all the changes of the land gauihig on the sea, and 

 the contrary, which are gradually carried on throughout the 

 world, requests us to make known a few facts which corre- 

 spond with the Asiatic researches. He was acquainted with 

 a lady, who died at Madras in the year 1797 at the advanced 

 age of 96 years, who used to say that the sea had encroached 

 there about three English miles within her remembrance j 

 that some years ago a row of cocoa-nut trees stood at the 

 place where the ships now ride at anchor. From the time 

 he left India in 1794 until his return there in 1799? the sea 

 had encroached so much as to cause the beach-house be- 

 longing to the customs, which stood at the south end of 

 the fort, to be removed three miles to the north of it, and 

 that the sea at that place continued to encroach gradually 

 upon the land every year. 



ANOTHER STONE FROM THE CLOUDS. 



We have been at some pains to obtain correct information 

 respecting this phoenomenon, which happened on the 5th of 

 April ; and we have been assured by Robert Craufurd, esq. 

 the proprietor of the ground where the stone fell, that the 

 following particulars maybe depended on; he himself, with 

 the following gentlemen belonging to the university of 

 Glasgow, viz. Dr. Freer, Dr. JeftVy, Professor Davidson, 

 and Professor M'Turk, having taken considerable pains to 

 have them ascertained. 



On the day above mentioned, three men at work in 

 a field at Possil, about three miles north from Glasgow, were 

 alarmed with a singular noise, which they think continued 

 for about two minutes, seeming to proceed from the south- 

 east to the north-west. At first, it appeared to resemble 

 four reports from the firing of cannon, afterwards the sound 

 of a bell, or rather of a gong, with a violently whizzing 

 noise ; and lastly they heard a sound as if some hard body 

 struck with very great force the surface of the earth. 



On the same day, in the forenoon, sixteen men were 

 at work in the Possil quarry, thirty feet below the surface 

 of the ground, and there too an uncommon noise was 

 heard, which, it is said, seemed at first to proceed from the 

 firing of some cannon; but afterwards the sound of hard 

 substances hurling downwards over stones ; and continuing 

 in the whole for about the space of a minute. 



By others who were at the quarry, viz. the overseer of 



the quarry, and a man who was upon a tree, to whom h^ 



was giving directions, the noise is described as continuing 



about two minutes, appearing as if it began in the west, and 



2 A 'J passed 



