H. A. Ward — Veramin Meteorite. 455 



Translation. 



On the 8th of Jamadi-ul-aval A. H. 1298,* at a place called 

 Boogin, the winter quarters of the tribe of Bagadi Shahsevan, 

 about three hours before sunset, there appeared in a clear sky, 

 between Boogin and Eshtahard, a small cloud, followed imme- 

 diately by an appalling noise. The people were greatly moved, 

 and rushed to their tent doors. While standing there in 

 expectation, they heard nine more terrific explosions, like to 

 the reports of a cannon. Following upon these, something 

 resembling smoke proceeded from the cloud, clearly visible to 

 all the people, descended to the earth and buried itself about 

 seven feet in the ground. A shepherd near the place noticed 

 the exact spot, and with fear and trembling pointed it out to 

 the people. Some of them went and turned up the ground 

 and took out the stone. Hadayat ullah khan, Kajar, the son 

 of the late Eesa Khan Beglerbegee, Governor of the tribe, 

 took possession of the stone, and reported the occurrence to 

 Teheran and sent the stone there. 



It will be seen that this label gives the locality of the fall of 

 the meteorite as Boogin. But as no map which I have con- 

 sulted shows any of these places here mentioned, and as the 

 Palace people called it Yeramin, the same name by which 

 Dietsch noted the stone a few months after it fell, it seems 

 proper that his name should be retained. Yeramin is a small 

 plain in the District of Karand some fifteen miles eastward of 

 Teheran. 



As we descended the staircase, the Guardian of the Palace 

 informed me that his Majesty would soon go to the mountains 

 for a week's hunting, and that then would be a proper time 

 for me to come to the Palace to carry out my work. Accord- 

 ingly, after two days I returned with a German photographer, 

 whose services I had engaged, and a Persian servant bearing a 

 huge pair of scales, which I had borrowed at the hotel. We 

 put the meteorite on the scales and found that its weight was 

 just 113J- pounds (about 51f kilograms). The stone was 

 shaped like an oblong loaf, about 16 inches in greatest length, 

 12 inches wide, and with a varying thickness of 7 to 8 inches. 

 The weight of the mass seemed quite inconsistent with the 

 fact that it seemed exteriorly to be largely stone.. Its corners 

 were much rounded, and its surfaces covered with character- 

 istic deep pittings. The largest of these pittings was one inch 

 across and half an inch deep ; most of the others about one- 

 half these dimensions. About three-fourths of the surface was 



* Although I have sought among members of the Persian- Legation in several 

 European capitals. I have been quite unable to ascertain the exact equivalent in 

 our (Christian) Calendar of the Persian date given above. All seem to agree on 

 the month of May, 1880, but hesitate to fix the day. — H. A. W. 



