﻿H. 
  A. 
  Newton 
  — 
  The 
  Worship 
  of 
  Meteorites. 
  3 
  

  

  once 
  carried 
  it 
  to 
  their 
  temple 
  and 
  worshiped 
  it. 
  The 
  same 
  

   has 
  been 
  repeated 
  in 
  India 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  several 
  other 
  

   stonefalls 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  century. 
  One 
  native 
  ruler 
  refused 
  to 
  

   allow 
  a 
  stone 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  across 
  his 
  territory 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  

   injury 
  that 
  might 
  come 
  to 
  his 
  people 
  or 
  his 
  lands. 
  

  

  Two 
  Japanese 
  meteorites, 
  formerly 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  a 
  daimio 
  

   family, 
  were 
  long 
  kept 
  and 
  handed 
  down 
  as 
  heirlooms, 
  being 
  

   in 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  priests 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  temples. 
  They 
  

   were 
  among 
  the 
  family 
  offerings 
  made 
  to 
  Skokujo 
  on 
  her 
  festi- 
  

   val 
  days. 
  They 
  were 
  connected 
  with 
  her 
  worship 
  by 
  the 
  

   belief 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  fallen 
  from 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Silver 
  River, 
  

   Heavenly 
  River, 
  or 
  Milky 
  Way, 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  

   her 
  as 
  weights 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  steady 
  her 
  loom. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  

   stones 
  was 
  presented 
  by 
  its 
  late 
  owner 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  collection 
  of 
  meteorites. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  institution 
  among 
  the 
  Chinese 
  that 
  has 
  

   existed, 
  according 
  to 
  Biot, 
  from 
  a 
  time 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  thousand 
  

   years 
  before 
  Christ. 
  The 
  Chinese 
  attributed 
  to 
  different 
  

   groups 
  of 
  stars 
  a 
  direct 
  influence 
  upon 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   empire. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  groups 
  correspond, 
  for 
  example, 
  to 
  

   the 
  imperial 
  palaces, 
  to 
  the 
  rivers, 
  the 
  roads, 
  and 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  of 
  China. 
  By 
  reason 
  of 
  this 
  belief 
  regular 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  imperial 
  astronomers 
  of 
  all 
  that 
  passes 
  

   in 
  the 
  heavens, 
  especially 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  of 
  stars 
  in 
  which 
  

   comets 
  and 
  meteors 
  originate, 
  or 
  across 
  which 
  they 
  travel. 
  The 
  

   interpretation 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  sky 
  forms 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   duties' 
  of 
  these 
  very 
  important 
  officials. 
  These 
  observations 
  

   have 
  been 
  carefully 
  written 
  out, 
  and 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  

   archives 
  of 
  the 
  empire. 
  Upon 
  the 
  ending 
  of 
  a 
  dynasty, 
  by 
  

   change 
  of 
  name 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  these 
  comet 
  and 
  meteor 
  records 
  

   have 
  been 
  published 
  as 
  a 
  special 
  chapter 
  of 
  the 
  chronicles 
  of 
  

   the 
  dynasty. 
  The 
  existing 
  dynasty 
  began 
  in 
  16 
  47, 
  since 
  which 
  

   date 
  the 
  records 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  unpublished. 
  

  

  In 
  1^92 
  a 
  stone 
  of 
  300 
  pounds 
  weight 
  fell 
  at 
  Ensisheim, 
  

   in 
  Alsace. 
  The 
  Emperor 
  Maximilian, 
  then 
  at 
  Basel, 
  had 
  the 
  

   stone 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  neighboring 
  castle, 
  and 
  a 
  Council 
  of 
  State 
  

   was 
  held 
  to 
  consider 
  what 
  message 
  from 
  heaven 
  the 
  stonefall 
  

   brought 
  to 
  them. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  the 
  stone 
  was 
  hung 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   church 
  with 
  an 
  appropriate 
  legend 
  and 
  with 
  strictest 
  command 
  

   that 
  it 
  should 
  ever 
  remain 
  there 
  intact. 
  It 
  was 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  

   omen 
  of 
  import 
  in 
  the 
  contest 
  then 
  in 
  progress 
  with 
  France 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  contest 
  impending 
  with 
  the 
  Turks. 
  Nineteen 
  

   years 
  later 
  a 
  shower 
  of 
  stones 
  fell 
  near 
  Crema, 
  east 
  of 
  Milan. 
  

   The 
  pope 
  was 
  at 
  war 
  with 
  the 
  French 
  and 
  the 
  stones 
  fell 
  into 
  

   the 
  French 
  territory. 
  Before 
  the 
  year 
  had 
  passed 
  the 
  French, 
  

   after 
  a 
  long 
  possession 
  of 
  Lombardy 
  and 
  serious 
  threatening 
  of 
  

   the 
  States 
  of 
  the 
  Church, 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  retire 
  from 
  Italy. 
  At 
  

  

  