THE EARTH. 359 



* " Meteoric stones are peculiar solid com- 

 pounds of earthy and metallic matters, of singular 

 aspect and composition, which occasionally des- 

 cend from the atmosphere, usually from the bosom 

 of a luminous meteor. This phenomenon affords 

 an instructive example of the triumph of human 

 testimony over philosophical scepticism. The 

 chronicles of almost every age had recorded the 

 fall of ponderous stony or earthy masses from the 

 air, but the evidence had been rejected by his- 

 torians, because the phenomenon was not within 

 the range of their philosophy. At length the sober 

 and solid researches of physical science put to 

 shame the incredulity of the metaphysical school. 



" While all Europe," says the celebrated 

 Vauquelin, " resounded with the rumour of 

 stones fallen from the heavens, and while philo- 

 sophers, distracted in opinion, were framing 

 hypotheses to explain their origin, each accord- 

 ing to his own fancy, the Hon. Mr Howard, an 

 able English chemist, was pursuing in silence 

 the only route which could lead to a solution of 

 the problem. He collected specimens of stones 

 which had fallen at different times, procured as 

 much information as possible respecting them, 

 compared the physical or exterior characters of 

 these bodies ; and even did more, in subjecting 

 them to chemical analyses, by means as ingenious 

 as exact. 



" It results from his researches, that the stones 

 which fell in England, in Italy, in Germany, in 



* Ure's Dictionary of Chemistry. MEXEOBOUTE. 



