342 METEORS: 



appearance on the inside, with veins. By the applica- 

 tion of steel it would produce fire. 



The facts, as related, can be supported by many in- 

 dividuals who heard the explosion and rumbling noise, 

 and saw the stone.' 



Dr Boykin of Georgia remarks, ' no one can tell from 

 what direction the meteor came. The first thing noticed 

 was the report, like that of a large piece of ordnance ; 

 some say the principal explosion was succeeded by a 

 number of lesser ones in quick succession, similar to the 

 explosions of a cracker ; one has told me the secondary 

 noise was only a reverberation. Very soon after the 

 explosion some black people heard a whizzing noise, 

 and on looking saw a faint smoke descend to the ground ; 

 at which time they heard "the noise produced by the fall 

 of the stone ; they ran to the spot, for they saw where it 

 fell, and discovered the hole it had made in the ground, 

 being more than two feet in a hard clay soil. The 

 negroes and others who went early to the spot, say they 

 perceived a sulphurous smell. The stone weighed 

 thirtysix pounds ; it fell at a small angle with the 

 horizon.' 



Had. this matter appeared in the night, it would un- 

 doubtedly have appeared luminous, but the superior 

 splendor of the sun so far eclipsed it that its brilliancy 

 was unobserved. All these meteorites contain iron. 

 There is however a class of meteorites a little different 

 from those just described, consisting almost entirely of 

 iron. Large quantities of iron are found on the surface 

 of the earth, lying in loose insulated masses, and at great 

 distances from any mines of iron. These in their ap- 

 pearance and situation give indubitable evidence tif 

 having been ejected from some volcano, or having de- 

 scended from the air. Meteoric iron is generally 

 whiter and more malleable than common iron. Some 

 of these masses have been seen to descend ; they have 

 undoubtedly a very intimate connexion with the meteoric 

 stones, and probably are of the same origin. A large 

 mass of this iron, weighing 30,000 pounds, has been 

 found in the province of Tucuman, in South America. 

 In many other parts of the world similar masses have 

 been found. One is now in the cabinet of Yale College, 



