Obfervations on Fire- Bails. £339 
eount of a ftone weighing fifty-fix pounds, which fell from 
the atmofphere with a loud report at Wold Newton in 
Yorkfhire, on the 13th day of December 1795. As it funk 
only eighteen, or according to others twenty-one inches 
into the earth, it is to be conjectured that the ground was 
extremely hard, or.that the ftone did not fall ina folid body, 
but ina foft liquid mafs. It was ftill warm to the touch 
when found; feemed externally of.a black colcur, and in the 
infide exhibited fhining particles and traces of fulphureous 
vapours. In the Gentleman’s Magazine, for September 
1796, there is an account of fome ftones which fell near 
Petrefwood, in the county of Weftmeath in Ireland, in the 
year 1779, accompanied by a violent clap of thunder. 
Thefe ftones, which had no likenefs to any of the known 
foffilsin that neighbourhood, weighed only 3} ounces; 
they were almoft like free ftone, of a whitith brown colour, 
and in the infide were interfperfed with filvery white, fhining 
fpecks. They were ftill warm when taken up, and after 
they fell the whole neighbourhood was filled with fulphure- , 
ous vapour. Ina work publifhed at London in 1796, en- 
titled, Remarks concerning Stones aid to have fallen from 
the Clouds, by Edward King, with which I am acquainted 
only by the Englifh Reviews, an account is given of the 
above phenomenon, and of feveral others of the like kind. 
Intetefting obfervations by Mr. Bottiger of the accounts 
_given in ancient authors of {tones faid to have fallen. from 
the heavens, may be found in the German Monat/chrift for 
_Anguft 1796,.where the author fhews that Anaxagoras ex- 
plained this phenomenon in, the fame manner as I haye 
-fone. The cafe with this conjectural.theory of mine is the 
Aame as with the theory of comets, which by Seneca were 
confidered as regular planetary bodies*; but. by others 
afterwards, as terreftrial meteors, till more accurate obferva- 
tion fhewed that Seneca was right. 
* Quaft. Nat. lib, vii. 
Z % The 
