220 Br. Walter Flight — History of Meteorites. 



evening sun, it would not merely have attracted the notice of the few 

 observers whose attention happened at that instant to be directed 

 towards the shy. The meteors, though distinctly separate to many 

 observers, were close together, and had the appearance of two candle 

 flames proceeding horizontally at a very low elevation. 1 The loud 

 report, which to many persons appeared to be two reports in rapid 

 succession, was followed, as is so often the case in explosions of this 

 kind, with " rolls of musketry," lasting 30 to 40 seconds. 



A large meteorite fell in a field at La Haye de Blois, near the bound- 

 ary of the commune of Lance and Saint-Amand, and penetrated the 

 soil to a depth of 1-4 metres. The explosion detached the hinder 

 portion of the meteorite, which fell as one block to the ground, but 

 which, when taken out of the hole, broke into three pieces. The 

 anterior portion of the stone was shattered into fragments, which 

 were scattered over a stubbled field of wheat. The owner of some 

 cultivated land near St.-Amand was within 200 metres of the spot 

 where it fell. It weighed altogether 47 kilog. 



The trajectory of the meteorite appears to have been nearly parallel 

 to the plane of the horizon, and the velocity is calculated to have 

 been 640 metres per second. 



A search having been instituted in the neighbourhood for other 

 meteorites that may have fallen at the same time, a second stone, 

 weighing 250 grammes, was found a few days later at a depth of 

 half a metre below the surface, at a point two kilometres from the 

 village of Pont-Loiselle in the Commune of Authon, and 12 kilometres 

 to the S W. of the spot where the first stone fell. These two places 

 are on the line of the trajectory of the meteor. Here, as in the case 

 of the fall of other meteorites — for example, those of Orgueil, Tarn- 

 et-G-aronne (1864, March 14th) — the smaller stone fell first. A 

 superficial inspection will convince the observer of the common 

 origin and similar constitution of the two stones. 



The crust of this meteorite is dull, and shows in different parts 

 the manner in which the air has affected the heated surface during 

 the descent. A freshly-fractured surface differs from that of a great 

 number of meteorites in being of a very dark gre}^ almost black, 

 colour, recalling that of certain basalts ; it possesses a spherular 

 structure, the grains not exceeding 1 mm. in diameter. Many are 

 transparent and colourless, while some are of a yellowish-green ; 

 when examined in a microscopic section, these are seen to be full of 

 flaws and to act powerfully on polarized light : here and there are 

 particles of the bronze-like yellow hue of iron monosulphide or with 

 metallic lustre ; the latter are rarely more than \ mm. in diameter, 

 and are malleable. The specific gravity is found to be 3*80 ; but 

 whether this is the density of the silicate freed from nickel-iron, is 

 not stated. 



By treatment with water 0*12 per cent, of sodium chloride was 

 extracted from a portion of this meteorite. As this salt is so common 



1 A similar instance of the division of a meteor into two during its passage through 



the atmosphere (which may he represented thus * *) was observed at the 



Mcobars, 1874, May 31st, 5"30 p.m. (Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1874, No. viii. 156.) 



