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LXI. Account of a Shoicer of Meteoric Stoves irhichfell in the 

 Covnly of Lirnerick. Cornmunicaled /'jr William Big- 

 gins, Esq. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 



Sir, — 1 SKND you a copy of a letter which I have received 

 from a gentleman of the highest respectal)ility, who was an eye- 

 witness to one of the most remarkable showers of meteoric stones 

 on record. This shower fell in the county of Limerick. 



The information with which I present you, was in answer to 

 the following queries, which George Tuthill, Esq. of this city was 

 good enough to transmit to his friend in Limerick, soon after the 

 event occurred. 



1. Have any persons seen the stones in the act of falling ? 



2. How soon after the large stones fell were they discovered ? 

 and were they hot ? 



3. Was the fall accompanied by thunder and lightning ; and 

 if so, was there but one clap and one flash, or hov/ many ? 



4. What was the state of the weather ? 



5. What is the shape of the larger stones ? 



6. Have smaller stones fallen at the same time, and at what 

 distance were they found from the larger ones ? 



7. Were there appearances of recent fractures on the surface 

 of the large masses ; and if so, whether those fractures corre- 

 sponded in shape and number with the small fragments ? 



In consequence of the foregoing questions, I received the fol- 

 lowing letter : " Limerick. 



"Sir, — Friday morning, the 10th of September 1S13, l)eing 

 very calm and serene and the sky dear, about nine o'clock a cloud 

 appeared in the east, and very soon after I heard eleven distinct 

 reports, appearing to proceed from thence, somewhat resembling 

 the discharge of heavy artillery. Immediately after this followed 

 a considerable noise not unlike the beating of a large drum, which ' 

 was succeeded by an uproar reseml)ling the continued discharge 

 of musquetry in line. The sky above the place whence this noi.e, 

 appeared to issue became darkened and very much distuibed, 

 making a hissing noise ; and from thence appeared to issue with 

 great violence different masses of matter, which directed their 

 course with great velocity in a horizontal direction towards the 

 west. One of these was observed to descend ; it fell to the earth, 

 and sunk into it more than a foot and a half, on the lands of 

 Scagh in the neighbourhood of Pobuck's Well, in the county of 

 Limerick. It was immediately dug up; and 1 have been in- 

 formed by those who were present, and on whom I could rely, 

 that it was then warm, and had a sulphurous smell. It weighed 

 about seventeen poimdsj and had no appearance of liaving been 

 Z 2 trLictured 



