67i 



ACCOUNT OF THB 



sought for it in vain, until he received Dr. Maslelyne's de- 

 termination of its place. When viewed with powers of 600 

 and I200,it could not be decidedly distinguished from a star, 

 until it was found to change its place. Its apparent diameter 

 was not large enough to fee directly determined, but it was 

 certainly not larger than one fourth of that of the Georgian 

 planet, and perhaps equal only to one sixth. From a rough 

 computation of its magnitude, Dr. Hersdhel concludes that 

 its real diameter is about A of that of the moon: its light is 

 of a reddish hue. 



Mr. Gilpin also gave the Society an account of obsc»va- 

 tions on the Sth and lith of February. He found the pla- 

 net's right ascension change from igs" 41* to 188" 3o', 

 while its declination increased. Mr. Gilpin observes that 

 its light resembles that of the planet Mars. 



Thursday, asth February. A letter from Mr. Schroe- 

 tef of Lilienthal, respecting the planet Ceres Ferdinandia, 

 informed the Society that Mr. Schrocter had observed a 

 irebulosity round the planet, somewhat resembling that of 

 a comet; the diameter of the true disc being 1.8", and that 

 of the nebula 2.6', but the distinction was not^ always 

 equally observable. Mr. Schroetcr considers this body as 

 of a hybrid nature, or a medium between a planet and a co- 

 met ; but he imagines the apparent nebulosity to be owing 

 to an atmosphere, and that, according to the different states 

 'of the atmosphere, the light reflected from the planet is 

 either white, bluish, or reddish. 



A table of observations of the same planet was also com- 

 municated by Mr. Mechain, through Sir Henry Englefield. 



An account of certain stony and metalline bodies which 

 at different times are said to have fallen on the earth, by 

 Edward Howard, Esq. occupied the remainder of this meet- 

 ing, and the principal part of the two following. 



Mr. Howard begins with a historical detail of the various 

 relations of this kind which are found on record, and par- 

 ticularly refers to the essays of Mr. King, and Professor 

 Chladni, and to various authors quoted by them. But the 

 first instances, with which chemistry has interfered, are 

 those of a stone presented to the French Academy by the 

 Abbe Bachelay in 1768 ; and another examined afterwards 

 by Professor Barthold. The stones from Sienna in 1794 ; 

 the large stone of 56lbs. weight which fell in Yorkshire in 

 1795, and was exhibited soon after in London; and the 

 substances which fell at Benares in 1793, are the immediate 

 subjects of Mr. Howard's investigation. All these agree in 

 the general appearance of an afh grey stony substance, 

 mixed with spangles of pyrites, and of native iron, and ex- 

 ternally of a dark colour, covered with a semivilrified and 

 blistered crust. The Abbe Bachelay's was supposed to 

 contain sjstiUurj fl iron, an^.s»} earth, and some of the 

 1 



others were found to consist of similar ingredients. Tha 

 stone, which fell near Mr. Topham's house in Yorkshire, 

 penetrated 12 inches deep into the «arth, and 6 more into 

 a chalk rock : its fall was accompanied with noises like a 

 discharge of artillery. A very particular and perfectly au- 

 thenticated account is given, in the words of Mr. Williams., 

 of several substances which fell about 12 miles fram Be- 

 nares, and penetrated some inches into the earth in several 

 spots within the distance of 100 yards ; their fall being ac- 

 eompanied by a very vivid light. 



Mr. Howard proceeds to mention another specimen from 

 the Museum Bomianum, now in the possession of Mr 

 Greville, said to have fallen in Bohemia, which agrees with 

 the rest in its characters. A mineralogical description of 

 these stones by the Count de Bournon is subjoined. The„ 

 appear to consist principally of substances ef four kinds, be- 

 sides the dark crust which surrounds them ; the first of these 

 substances is in the form of dark grains, of a conchoidal 

 fracture, from the size of a pin's head to that of a pea; the 

 second is a kind of pyrites, the third is metallic iron, and 

 the fourth a grey earthy substance, serving as a cement to 

 the rest. The proportions of these substances appear to 

 differ in some measure in the different specimens, the iron 

 abounding most in the specimens from Yorkshire, and from 

 Bohemia. Mr. Howard has ascertained, by a chemical 

 analysis, that silica, iron, magnesia, sulfur, and nickel, are 

 contained in the different parts of these substances. The 

 globular bodies and the cementing earth each contained 

 about 50 silex, 15 magnesia, 34 iron, and 2J nickel. 



From 1 50 grains of the earthy part of the stone from 

 Sienna, Mr. Howard obtained about 70 silica, 34 magnesia, 

 52 oxid of iron, and 3 oxid of nickel ; the contents of the 

 specimens from Yorkshire and from Bohemia were not 

 materially different. Mr. Howard proceeds to inquire into 

 the causes of the difference in the results of his analysis and 

 those of the foreign chemists, with respect to the species 

 of the earths. After having shown the striking analogy be- 

 tween these substances, and their total dissimilarity to 

 other mineral products, Mr. Howard examines into the form 

 and contents of various specimens of native iron: observing 

 that Mr. Proust detected nickel in a large mass of native iron 

 found in South America ; Mr. Howard discovers a portion 

 of the same metal in every specimen that he has examined, 

 from different parts of the world. A description of these 

 specimens, by the Count de Bournon, is inserted, and the 

 large mass, discovered by Professor Pallas in Siberia, is par- 

 ticularly described. It is found to contain detached masses 

 of scmitransparent substances, considerably resembling some 

 of the constituent parts of the stones from Benares. Mr. 

 Howard does not give a decided opinion respecting the origin 



