Dr. Reynolds on Meteors. 273 



A portion of one of these stones that fell in the town of Wes- 

 ton, (Connecticut) examined by the late Dr. Woodhouse, gave 

 'the following results in a hundred parts, viz. 



Siiex 50 



Iron 27 



Sulphur ... 7 



Magnesia ... 10 



Nickel .... 1 inferred from chemical tests. 



Loss 5 



100 



*' The sulphur was seen by the naked eye distributed through 

 the silex in round globules the size of a pin's head, after dis- 

 solving the powdered stone in diluted nitric acid." 



All specimens of these stones do not afford precisely similar 

 results, but differ in their constituent elements and relative 

 proportions ; their component parts, however, are to be found 

 abundantly in schist, schorl, pyrites, pebble, granite, &:c. on 

 which the sun must daily act. 



The following facts go to strengthen the above theory, viz. 

 Meteors are most frequent and stupendous in tropical coun- 

 tries, where the heat of the sun is most intense ; and less fre- 

 quent in our climate in the winter and spring, while, and after 

 the earth has been covered with snow for many weeks in suc- 

 cession ; and they are most frequent in the higher latitude* 

 towards autumn, after a continuation of hot dry weather : out 

 of the whole number (179) of shooting stars I have noted du- 

 ring the last twelve years, 149 appeared between June and 

 December, inclusive. 



If it be said that the specific gravity of meteoric stones being 

 several times that of water, it is absurd to suppose they can 

 rise, (if even reduced to the state of gas) to the elevated sta- 

 tions here assigned them, seeing the vapours of water can as- 

 cend only one or two miles above the earth. To this I reply, 

 that the doctrine of heat is not yet so thoroughly understood, 

 as to acquaint us with all its habitudes with natural bodies, but 

 we infer from analogy, that the more refractory a body is in 



Vol. I... .No. 3. 22 



