TO THE RIO FLORIDO, 459 
While we were at work, Sefior Urquida, the 
younger, the brother of Don Juan, came out. Havin 
no letters of introduction to him, I showed him a gene- 
enda de Concepcion, I learned of the existence of meteorites, or masses 
of native iron, in several places. Of those near the former place, of 
which Dr. Webb went in search, there is no doubt. Some of them 
are very large masses, partially buried in the earth; while others are 
less than the one described. There is one at San Gregorio, about fifteen 
leagues distant ; and it is reasonable to suppose from their proximity, that 
these several masses fell to the earth on the bursting of one and tie 
Same meteor. 
For the information of such of my readers as are not fanfiliar with 
the history of these phenomena, I will observe, in the words of a distin- 
guished philosopher, that “Shooting stars, fire-balls, and meteoric stones, 
axe regarded with great probability, as small masses moving with planet- 
ary velocity, and revolving in obedience to the laws of general gravity 
in conie sections around the sun. When these masses meet the earth 
in their course, and are attracted by it, they enter within the limits of 
our atmosphere in a luminous condition, and frequently let fall more or 
less strongly heated stony fragments, covered with a shining black 
crust.” * Another distinguished writer, Kaemtz,t after examining the 
several hypotheses, for the origin of these igneous meteors, arrives at 
similar,eonclusions to those of Bion Humboldt. “ A great number of 
- observations,” he says, ‘ prove that, besides the large celestial bodies, 
there are small ones that move in space, such as points and Juminous 
trains, which astronomers have often seen traversing the field of their 
telescopes. These millions of asteroids moving round the sun, become 
visible when they are ignited by entering the terrestrial atmosphere.” 
With regard to the masses of meteoric iron, many instances are 
‘recorded where they have been known to fall to the earth on the burst- 
ing of meteors, and have been carefully examined and analyzed by phi- 
losophers They present the same character, both in form and in their 
chemical — metallic iron predominating, with a few parts 
nickel. “ The connection of meteoric stones,” says Humboldt,t « with 
* Humboldt’s Cosmos. apts 98, Otto's translation. 
+t Meteorology. pp. 478- ¢ Ibid. p. 101. 
