132 



METEORITE. 



Meteorite. Sieurs Penarier, father and Bon, who were in the 

 s *V~' .fields adjoining to the village of St. Etienne de L'Olm, 

 about twelve kilometers from Alais, heard the two ex- 

 plosions, which were not preceded by lightning, and 

 which they at first supposed to be the firing of cannon 

 at St. Hippolyte-le-fort ; but the rolling sound which 

 succeeded, and which seemed to them to describe a 

 curve in the heavens, from west to south, and from 

 south to east, quickly undeceived them. As they 

 looked more attentively at the clouds, an extraordinary 

 hissing noise succeeded the rolling, and they distinct- 

 ly perceived a blackish body proceeding from the 

 clouds, obliquely advancing towards them from the 

 north, and which, after passing over their heads, fell 

 in a corn-field below the village, and broke in shivers, 

 with a considerable noise. Accompanied by several of 

 the alarmed villagers, they immediately went in quest 

 of it, and found that it had pierced the soil, and bro- 

 ken into dispersed fragments against a rocky stratum, 

 only small splinters, which were diluted by the rain 

 that fell two days after, remaining in the hollow form- 

 ed by the falling mass. From the respective weights 

 of the fragments, it wjs supposed that that of the en- 

 tire stone might be 4000 grammes. Its form, so far as 

 could be inferred from the fragments, was irregular 

 and angular ; and it was black internally as well as on 

 the surface, which last seemed to have undergone the 

 action of fire. 



There fell, at the same time, at Valence, a village 

 -near Alais, another stone, of a rudely cubical form, of 

 the size of a child's head, and about four pounds 

 weight. The persons who witnessed its descent, were 

 Pierre Reboul, and son, Vincent Mazel, and Pierre 

 Esperaudieu, servant to the mayor of Valence, who 

 were labouring in the fields when the explosions and 

 tolling noise mentioned above arrested their attention. 

 According to their report, these noises were followed 

 by another, resembling that of an iron pulley, by 

 means of which a bucket is rapidly let down into a 

 draw-well. On looking up, they perceived a black 

 body moving from the north, in an oblique direction, 

 which fell among them, about fifteen paces from Re- 

 boul. They all ran to the spot, and found it half bu- 

 ried in the earth, still hot, and split into three parts, 

 which were again divided, as each was desirous of 

 having a specimen. 



The Alais stone, according to Thenard, had such a 

 strong resemblance to coal, that they who found it at- 

 tempted to burn it. Its specific gravity was 1940, con- 

 sequently very inferior to that of other meteorites whose 

 specific gravity has been ascertained. Its internal sub- 

 stance exhibited some yellow specks of martial pyrites, 

 and a great many cubical points, slightly united to 

 one another, and so friable that the least pressure re- 

 duced tliem to fragments of the size of grains of sand. 

 It was destitute of savour, and insoluble in water. 

 When heated in the open air, its black hue passed to 

 a reddish yellow ; but, when heated in close vessels, 

 remained unchanged. Before the common blow-pipe, 

 it was infusible, without addition ; but, when mixed 

 with borax, it readily melted, and communicated to 

 that salt a greenish-yellow tinge. The same ingenious 

 chemist states its component parts to be, 



Silica, 

 Magnesia, 

 Oxyd of iron, 

 Nickel, 

 Manganese, 

 Sulphur, . 

 1 



21 



9 

 40 



2.50 



2 



3.5 



Chrome, . ~, 1 Meteorite. 



Carbon, . . 2.5, ^ "V ' 



the remainder being estimated as water. Vauquelin 

 again reports, 



Silica, . . 30 

 Magnesia, . . 11 

 Iron, . . 38 



Nickel, . . 2 

 Manganese, . . 2 

 Sulphur, . . 1 



Chrome, . . 2.5 

 Carbon, a trace. 



and the virtual import of these analyses was attested 

 by Monge, Fourcroy, and Berthollet. 



May 17, 1806. As Mr. William Paice, of Basing- Basing- 

 stoke, Hants, was travelling with his cart, a few miles stoke, 

 from home, he met a person who inquired of him, 

 whether he had seen a stream of fire descend from the 

 air, like a falling star, there having been some thun- 

 der just before. Mr. Paice had not observed it ; but, 

 going on a little farther, he found a large ball, or 

 stone, which he took up, while yet hot, from the mid- 

 dle of the road, threw it into his cart, and brought it 

 home. It had a metallic appearance, and weighed 

 two pounds and a half. Month. Mag. 



March 13, 1807. In the afternoon, the inhabitants Juchnow, 

 of the Canton of Juchnow, in the government of Smo- 

 lensko, were alarmed by an uncommonly loud noise, 

 which they supposed to be thunder ; and two peasants 

 being out in the fields, perceived, at the distance of 

 forty paces, a black stone, of considerable magnitude, 

 falling to the earth, which it penetrated to a consider, 

 able depth beneath the snow. When dug up, it was 

 found to be of an oblong quadrangular figure, of a 

 blackish colour, resembling cast iron, and to weigh 

 160 pounds. A fragment of this mass is preserved in 

 the imperial cabinet of Vienna. Its specific gravity 

 was 3.7 ; and Klaproth notes its constituents thus, 



Silica, 

 Alumina, . 

 Lime, 

 Magnesia, 

 Oxyd of iron, 

 Ilegulus of do. 

 Nickel, 

 Manganese,! 

 Sulphur, J 



a trace. 



38 



1 



0.75 

 14.25 

 25 

 17.60 



0.40 



97 



December 14, 1807. About half-past six o'clock in 

 the morning, the people to the north of Weston, in Western. 

 Connecticut, North America, observed a fire-ball issu- 

 ing from a very dark cloud. Its apparent diameter 

 was equal to that of the half, or of two-thirds of the 

 moon ; its light was vivid and sparkling, like that of 

 incandescent iron, and it left behind it a pale and wav. 

 ing luminous train, of a conical form, and ten or twelve 

 times as long as the diameter of its body, but which 

 was soon extinguished. This meteor, of which the 

 apparent motion was less rapid than that of most 

 others, continued visible for half a minute, during 

 which it exhibited three successive bounds, with a di- 

 minution of its lustre. About thirty or forty seconds 

 after its extinction, there were heard, during three se- 

 conds, three very loud reports, like the firing of a four 

 pounder at a little distance ; and these were succeeded 

 by a more prolonged and rolling noise. With the suc 

 cessive explosions, stones were darted in the environs 

 of Weston, and eyen into the town itself. These 



