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230 Account of a remarkable 
well as others, have ridiculed my fingular by ypothefis; Or 
condemned it altogether; but no one has yet confuted my: 
principles, or given any other explanation that correfponds 
fo well with facts, On the other hand, I could mention 
feveral naturalifts, who, as I know from their own mouths, 
agree with me in the effential parts of my explanation, did 
Ii not confider it improper to bring them thus forward to 
public notice without their exprefs permiffion. The ftrong- 
eft objection made to my affertions is, that fuch a mafs, 
from fuch a prodigious height, would not fink to the depth 
of a few feet, but to the centre of the earth. This affertion; 
however, contradicts itfelf; becaufe fuch a mafs is not folid, 
as may be concluded from the variation of its form fo often 
remarked, and the increafe of its fize till it at lencth burfts ; 
but confifts of foft and elaftic fluids, which, probably being 
expanded by the heat, extend to a monftrous globular form ; 
is then fupported by the atmofphere, and lofes the greater 
part of its gravity. To this may be added, that a foft tough 
mafs, which befides falls in a very oblique direction, would 
not in general fink fo far into the earth as a folid mafs that 
falls in a perpendicular direétion. 
The above-defcribed meteo? feems, in every point of view, 
to.confirm my method of explanation as much as if it had 
abfolutely taken place for that purpofe. This much, at any 
rate, is proved, that all the phenomena which accompany . 
fire-balls, as well as the falling of maffes of ferruginous 
earth and fulphureous mafles, Gitersea at the fame time, 
cannot be explained from accumulations in the upper regions 
of the atmofphere, as it can hardly be fuppofed that fuch 
grofs fubftances could float or be diffolved in fo rarefied air 
at a height of 20 German miles, fo as to be colle&ted and to 
unite into monftrous maffes. As we are acquainted with 
no power which is able to force fuch large bodies to fo con- 
fiderable a height, and then to give them an oblique move- 
ment downwards, and fometimes almoft horizontal, with a 
velocity which is equal to that of the planets in their orbits ; 
and 
