466 Scientific Intelligence. [June, 



IV. Shower of Red Earth in Italy. 



In the Annals of Philosophy, for Jan. 1817, there is a short 

 notice of a shower of red earth which fell at Gerace, in Calabria : 

 a number of the Giornale de Fisica of Brughatelli, which we 

 have just received,* contains a full account of the circumstance, 

 with a description ol" the substance, by Sig. Sementini, Professor 

 of Chemistry at Naples, of which the following is an extract. 



It occurred on March 14, 1813 : the wind had been westerly 

 for two days, when at two p.m. it suddenly became calm, the 

 atmosphere grew cloudy, and the darkness gradually became so 

 great as to render it necessary to light candles. The sky 

 assumed the colour of red-hot iron, thunder and lightning con- 

 tinued for a considerable length of time, and the sea was heard 

 to roar, although six miles from the city. Large drops of rain 

 then began to fall, which were of a blood-red colour. 



Sig. Sementini collected a quantity of the powder which fell, 

 and describes its physical properties to be as follows : It had a 

 yellow colour, like canella ; an earthy, insipid taste ; it was 

 unctuous to the touch, and extremely subtile. When the 

 powder was moderately heated, it changed its colour, first to 

 a brown, and afterwards to a black, and became red again as 

 the temperature was raised ; afcer it had been heated, many 

 small shining plates were visible, it no longer effervesced with 

 acids, and had lost about -^ of its weight. Its specific gravity 

 was 2-07. 



Sig. Sementini then subjected the powder to chemical analysis, 

 and found its composition to be as follows : 



Silex 33 



Alumine 1-3- 



Lime 1 ll 



Chrome 1 



Iron Mi- 

 Carbonic acid 9 



Loss 154; 



100 



So large a proportion of loss was at first ascribed to some 

 inaccuracy in the analysis, or to some body that had accidentally 

 been mixed with the powder; but when he found it always to 

 occur, whatever care was taken in the analysis, he began to 

 suspect that it depended upon some combustible matter essential 

 to the substance. This suspicion was afterwards verified ; and 

 by digesting the powder in boiling alcohol for a length of time, 

 he obtained from it a greenish yellow colouring matter, which, 

 when dried, acquired a pitchy consistence, was Inflammable, and 



* Dec. 2, torn. i. 



