34 REPORT — 1861. 



It fell thirty paces from a man and woman, penetrated the ground about 

 2 feet, and was immediately dug up; it was hot, of a bluish-black colour, and 

 smelled sulphurous. It weighed 700'5 grammes, its sp.gr.=3*293. Its form 

 was similar to that of an " ananchites," having a flat elongated base and an 

 arched enclosure. It has the character of a real fragment, and is encrusted 

 all over. The crust is uneven on one side, wliilst the other is more even and 

 equally rounded, the edges between the rough surface and rounded planes 

 being well marked. 



The stone resembles those of Reichenbach's second family, " somewhat 

 bluish stones." The stone contains disseminated iron and pyrrhotine, — the 

 latter, sometimes filling up vein-fissures, giving it the character of a fragment 

 from a very large mass — a mountain of rock. Disseminated through the 

 whole mass were spots of iron-rust and crystalline globules, which leave im- 

 pressions when falling out of the brittle mass. 



4. Indian meteorites. — At the meetings of the Imperial Academy of 

 Vienna, on June 8th, November 3rd, and the last one in the year 1860, M. 

 Haidinger gives accounts of the Calcutta meteorites which had been acquired 

 a short time previously by the Imperial Cabinet of Minerals. 



(1.) The meteorite of Shalka fell in a rice-field about 80 yards south of the 

 village, on November 30th, 1850, a iev/ hours before sunrise ; it w^as witnessed 

 by two persons. The nqise, compared with thunder, was not very loud; the 

 stone penetrated 4 feet into the earth ; fragments were found 3 feet deep in a 

 circle of 20 feet radius. Only one stone fell, which may have been 3 feet long. 

 It came from the south, at an angle of about 80°. The stone is very peculiar ; 

 the white portions resemble pumice, whilst the darker resemble pearlstone ; 

 it is friable like cocolite. The real fracture shows greasy lustre. It does 

 not contain any metallic iron. It belongs to Reichenbach's first family, 

 first group. 



(2.) A fall of meteorites occurred on December27th, 1857, at Quenggouk 

 in Pegu ; three stones, evidently fragments, were found five and ten miles 

 apart. It had the appearance of a large umbrella in flames, as observed 

 at a place ninety miles south of Quenggouk, at an altitude of 40° or 50°, 

 giving a report like that of a monster gun. Another observation, taken 

 on board the ' Semiramis,' about 200 miles S.E. of where it fell, describes it as 

 having had at first the appearance of a large star increasing to three times 

 the size of the moon, leaving behind a long tail, and falling towards the east. 

 Haidinger gives the height at 80 or 120 miles. 



(3.) This fall occurred at Dhurmsala in the Punjab, accompanied by a tre- 

 mendous noise, the earth being shaken in convulsions. The direction was 

 N.N.W.to S.S.E. The fragments penetrated to a depth of 1 to I5 feet; the 

 largest weighed 320 lbs. The fall took place July 14th, 1861. 



(4.) The fall of meteorites at Futtehpore on November 30th, 1822, is men- 

 tioned. 



(5.) The real locality of a stone which was found in 1846, and which 

 Piddington supposes to be from Assam, is not known. It is beautifully 

 marbled, very solid, and resembles the meteorites of Seres, Barbotan, and 

 others of the third family of Reichenbach. The crust is dark greyish-black, 

 sp. gr. at 17° R. = 3-792. 



(6.) The fall of the Segowolee meteorites took place on March 6th, 1853. 

 All the stones were pyramidal, and weighed from | to 4 lbs. The crust is 

 very thin, not over | line in thickness, dark-reddish brown. The whole con- 

 dition gives proof of a slight fusibility. 



