214 Dr. Walter Flight — History of Meteorites. 



In bringing these sketches of the Lipari Islands to a close, I may 

 notice an interesting circumstance, to which my attention has been 

 drawn by Professor Suess, of Vienna. That geologist has recently 

 published an important memoir, entitled "Die Erdbeben des siid- 

 lichen Italien," and he has been good enough to point out to me that 

 the lines of fissure, which, from a study of the seismic phenomena 

 of Sicily and Calabria, he has inferred traverse those districts, point, 

 like those which I have determined on totally different evidence, to 

 the central submerged tract of the Lipari Islands. 



V. — A Chapter in the History of Meteorites. 

 By "Walter Flight, D.Sc, F.G.S., 



Of the Department of Mineralogy, British Museum ; 



Assistant Examiner in Chemistry, University of London. 



{Continued from page 163.) 



1871. March 24th. 2 a.m. (local time). — TJrbino, Province of Urbino 

 and Pesaro, Italy.- 



A brilliant meteor was observed by Serpieri at the Observatory of 

 Urbino, which left a persistent streak. It was attended by an 

 explosion. 



1871. March 24th. 425 a.m. (local time) .— Volpeglino, Piedmont, 



Italy. 2 

 This meteor is described in a Turin newspaper by F. Denza. Its 

 apparent course was from a Cygni across a Andromeda? to near £ 

 Piscium. The nucleus had a diameter of 25'. The colour was of a 

 brilliant white, and it left a very persistent ruddy streak along 

 its whole course. It burst with a violent detonation, which was 

 heard about half a minute after its disappearance. 



1871. April 12th. 8 15 p.m. (local time). — Lodi, Moncalieri, 

 Piedmont, Italy. 3 

 A very large and brilliant meteor traversed the heavens from 111 

 + 7 to 105 + 2, and burst with a loud detonation, which was heard in 

 houses with closed doors. The account of this meteor is communi- 

 cated by F. Denza, of the Observatory of Moncalieri. 



1871, Spring of. — Roda, Province of Huesea, Spain. 4 



The exact date of the fall of this meteorite is not given, but it is 

 stated to have occurred during the spring of 1871, at a spot two 

 kilometres from Eoda. Two fragments, in the possession of Pisani, 

 weigh about 200 grammes, and appear to have formed the half of a 

 stone which was of the size of a fist. It is covered with a black 

 crust, which is continuous and brilliant in plaees where this species 

 of lustrous varnish has run. The interior is ashey-grey, with greenish 



1 Brit. Assoc. Report, 1871. Obs. Luminous Meteors, 37. 



2 Brit. Assoc. Beport, 1871. Obs. Luminous Meteors, 36. 



3 Brit. Assoc. Beport, 1871. Obs. Luminous Meteors, 36. 



4 F. Pisani. Compt. rend., lxxix. 1507. — G. A. Daubree. Gompt. rend., lxxix. 1509. 



