1857.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 289 



with return. I agree with Lord Harris that " one of the meteoric 

 stones" should be sent to the Museum at Madras, and I consent 

 that it should be the largest, as they fell within this Presidency. I 

 also thank His Lordship for kindly suggesting to you that " Mr. 

 Taylor might keep the other one for himself as he might perhaps 

 like to do so." Simply for myself I do not desire it, but while I 

 honor the English, and am glad to have one at Madras for that 

 reason, 1 love also my own country, which is but a branch of the 

 English stock, and wish to send the other there. You are at 

 liberty, however, to keep it at Madura till after the Exhibition in 

 June. 



In respect to Mr. Murray's request through you, I would state 

 that I gave a somewhat minute account of their fall, &c. to Dr. 

 Colebrook, with liberty to publish, should he think best, in the 

 AthencBum. If he has done so, this may not be needed ; I will, 

 however, give a few particulars. 



1. They fell on the 28fch of February, Saturday, at about noon, a 

 little south east of the village of Parnallee, Latitude north, accord- 

 ing to the Government Map 9° 14' Longitude 78° 21' east. 



2. The largest one fell a few seconds before the smaller one, and 

 from two to three miles north of it. As was manifest from the hole 

 it made in the ground when it fell, it came from a direction some 

 ten degrees west of north, making an angle of about 15 or 20 

 degrees with a line perpendicular to the earth's surface. It struck 

 the earth (or at least lay in the bottom of the hole made by it) 

 flatwise, on the side that is most convex. The most round or 

 convex side of the smaller stone also was downward, this being the 

 position they would naturally assume as they passed with great velo- 

 city through the resisting atmosphere, an idea which did not occur to 

 me till now. I had before simply noted the fact. The larger stone 

 sunk into the earth when it fell, two feet and five inches, in a per- 

 pendicular direction. The smaller one two feet and eight inches. 

 The smaller one fell also about perpendicularly. The smaller does 

 not appear in any respect like a fragment of the larger one. The 

 specific gravity of the smaller one, when it fell was about 3-3, water 

 being the standard of unity. I observed that the specific gravity 

 was increased after exposure to a shower, or that of the smaller 



2 i? 2 



