METEORIC STONES. 211 



Of late years, the attention of philosophers has been more 

 anxiously directed to this curious subject ; and more accurate 

 accounts of the supposed fall of stones have been collected 

 from various quarters. It is not a little singular that the 

 narrative which, of all others, was supported by the very- 

 best and most direct evidence, was treated by naturalists 

 near the spot, with perverse incredulity, until the results of 

 chemical analysis, about ten years after the thing happened, 

 began to operate some change upon the common opinions 

 relating to such matters. We allude to the shower of stones 

 which fell near Agen, 24th July 1790, between nine and ten 

 o'clock at night. First, a bright ball of fire was seen tra- 

 versing the atmosphere with great rapidity, and leaving 

 behind it a train of light which lasted about fifty seconds ; a 

 loud explosion was then heard, accompanied with sparks 

 which flew off in all directions. This was followed, after a 

 short interval, by a fall of stones, over a considerable extent 

 of ground, at various distances from each other, and of differ- 

 ent sizes ; the greater number weighing about half a quarter 

 of a pound, but many a vast deal more. Some fell with a 

 hissing noise, and entered the ground : others (probably the 

 smaller ones) fell without any sound, and remained on the 

 surface. In appearance, they were all alike. The shower 

 did no considerable damage ; but it broke the tiles of some 

 houses. All this was attested in a proces-verlal, signed by the 

 magistrates of the municipality. It was further substantiated 

 by the testimony of above three hundred persons, inhabitants 

 of the district; and various men, of more than ordinary 

 information, gave the very same account to their scientific 

 correspondents. One of these (M. D'Arcet, son of the cele- 

 brated chemist of that name) mentions two additional cir- 

 cumstances, of great importance, from his own observation. 

 The stones, when they fell upon the houses, had not the 

 sound of hard and compact substances, but of matter in a 

 soft, half-melted state ; and such of them as fell upon straws 

 adhered to them, so as not to be easily separated. It is 

 utterly impossible to reconcile these facts with any other 



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