Prof. Wdhler on the Composition of the Cape Meteorite. 217 



it took place in our atmosphere ! such an origin is scarcely con- 

 ceivable." (Phil. Mag. S. 3. vol. xiv. p. 231.) According to Mr. 

 Thompson^ the noise of the fall was fearful, louder and more iiow- 

 erful than the heaviest artillery ; the air was shaken for more than 

 eighty nliles in every direction . Several persons at Worcester felt 

 a sensation at the knees as though of an electric shock ; and even 

 there, at the distance of forty miles, the noise was compared to 

 the rolling of rocks down a mountain. From the place of obser- 

 vation on the borders of the Great Karroo, where INIr. Thompson 

 happened to be in company with Mr. Justice Menzies, something- 

 similar to a Congreve rocket was seen to approach from the west 

 and, when almost over the heads of the observers, to burst into 

 drops of fire, or, as it seemed, of transparent glass, At the time 

 of the phjenomenon, and still more on the previous night, all the 

 mountains about Worcester and the Bokkeveld were continually 

 illuminated with lightning; and throughout the whole district 

 where the phajnomenon was visible, a high state of electric ten- 

 sion was noticed. A farmer saw the falling matter strike the 

 ground before him. Many stones fell, in three spots, within a 

 square of forty or fifty yards. Some fell upon hard ground, 

 being thereby shattered into numerous small fragments ; others 

 upon soft ground, in which they buried themselves. Accordin"- 

 to the account given by Maclear in his letter to Sir J. Herschet 

 read at the sitting of the Royal Society, March 21, 1839, the 

 fall took place while the air was still and sultry. The frao'ments 

 were at first very soft, and only became harder aftenvards. 

 According to the account of E. J. Jerram of Capetown, the fall 

 extended over a distance of not less than 150 miles in a straight 

 hue; so that stones were found with interruptions at distances 

 of 10, 15, 20, 50, &c. miles. Those which fell near Tulba"-h 

 were by themselves estimated at several hundredweight, ° 



It would perhaps not have been difficult, immediately after 

 the occurrence of the meteoric shower, for anyone possessed of 

 the zeal and perseverance displayed by Freiherr von Reichcnbach 

 on the occasion of a similar event at Blankso, on November 25tb, 

 1833, to have put together a learned account of this great cos- 

 niical phajnomenon, in which every contemporaneous circum- 

 stance not strictly belonging to the history of the event itself 

 might have been kept in its proper place ; nor would it per- 

 haps have been then difficult to have brought considerable quan- 

 titles of this highly curious and enigmatical substance to Europe 

 for examination. As it was, this only happened gradually. 

 Three entire stones (among the rest, that sent by Mr. Thompson 

 to Mr.Charlesworth)and several fragmentswere sent to the British 

 Museum. Sir John Ilerschel received a stone of the weight of 

 7 lbs. from M, Truter in Capetown. The late M, Partsch, iu 1843, 



