ae 
6 Objervations on a Ma/s of Iron ih. * 
every circum ftance remarked in regard to fife balls, that; with.” — 
out aflerting any thing abfurd, every relation of this kind may, 
he fays, beadmittedin their full and literal extent. In the at- 
teftations refpecting that of Agram, it is mentioned that feveral 
people, in different parts of the kingdom, faw and obferved 
the burfling of the fire-ball, and heard its explofions and 
noife in the atmofphere, and perceived alfo that fomething 
fiery fell ffom the heavens, fo that it was a circumftance 
generally known in the neighbourhood, only that on ac- 
count of the diftance it was not exactly known in what 
place it had fallen. Hence it may be concluded, that it 
was no effeés of lightning, but an actual fire-ball.  Light~- 
ning, at a time of the year when ftorms are not uncommon, 
would not have excited univerfal attention, much lefs would 
it have been obferved at a great diftance as a falling fiery 
mafs. From the fimilarity of the maffés, it is alfo highly 
improbable that, in all the places where they were found, 
fufible parts only fhould have been difcovered, and fhould 
have been changed in the fame manner by lightning; efpe- 
cially as in places ftruck by lightning no maffes of the 
like kind have been found, but always vitrified Potanef 
particles, &c, 
4. It is totally incomprehenfible how, on the high flate 
mountains, where the Siberian mafs was found, at a con- 
fiderable diftance from the iron mines; in the chalky foil of. 
the extenfive plains of America, where for a hundred miles 
around there are no iron mines, and not even fo much as 2 
ftone to be found; and at Aix-la-chapelle, where, as far as 
the author knows, there are no iron works, fo many ferru- 
ginous particles could be collected in a fmall fpaee, as would 
he neceffary to form maffes of 1600, 15000, and 17000, up 
to 33600 pounds, This cireumftance fhews that thefe 
maffes could as little have been fufed by lightning, as by 
the burning of a foreft, or of foffile coal. Thefe maffes 
were found quite expofed and uncovered, and not at any 
_.depth in the.earth, where we can much mare readily admit 
fuch 
