1868.] 



accompanying the fall of Meteorites. 



157 



plosions, and particularly of the repeated explosions, that of the rumblings, 

 that of the incandescence, are -still absolutely unknown"*. 



But I had still more reason to be astonished when I found M. Daubree 

 himself nearly upon the same level in his views respecting the origin of 

 light, heat, and sound in the fall of meteorites. 



I certainly heartily appreciate the high merit of my honoured friend M. 

 Daubree, in regard both to his deep studies on meteorites and his eminent 

 success in forwarding the interests of the Paris Museum of Meteorites ; but 

 I at the same time maybe permitted to consider my own views, as given in 

 the memoirs quoted, as representing a scientific advance compared with the 

 statements of M. Meunier and those of M. Daubree himself in his last 

 memoir on the Orgueil fall -f . Neither M. Daubre'e nor M. Meunier had 

 refuted or even objected to my views ; they had only passed them over in 

 silence, doubtless because they had escaped their notice. 



But I believe I am fulfilling a duty to scientific progress if I endeavour 

 to place the discrepant and even contradictory views on these subjects to- 

 gether, with the view once more to excite attention and recommend them 

 to further study on the part of the votaries of natural science ; and it was 

 with this view that I prepared a new memoir, to be laid before our Imperial 

 Academy in their approaching period of session, on the light, heat, and sound 

 accompanying the fall of meteorites. I begin with some of the statements 

 put forth by M. Daubree, as taken from his memoir on Orgueil : — 



" Things go on as if the greater part of the mass of the meteor got out 

 of our atmosphere, in order to continue its course, after having left us 

 some particles, the velocity of which, in consequence of the explosion, was 

 reduced "J. M. Daubree does not admit the arrival of groups or swarms 

 of meteorites as has been asserted §. " The carbonaceous meteorites con- 

 tradict the hypothesis that the heat of the meteorites is due to the loss of 

 their vis viva " || . The sounds, detonations under the name of explosions, 

 remain without explanation 



M. Daubree attributes to mere chance the situation of what he calls 

 " scales," or " ecailles de meteorites," at the moment of an explosion, if 

 they present certain particular seams of crust surrounding their most ex- 



* " Reinarquons quun grand nombre de particularites offertes par la chute des me- 

 teorites sont restees jusqu'a present sans explication. Ainsi, la cause des explosions et 

 surtout des explosions multiples, celle des roulenients, celle de 1' incandescence, sont ab- 

 solument inconnues." 



•f " Complement d' Observations sur la chute de meteorites qui a eu lieu le 14 Mai 

 1864 aux environs d'Orgueil," JN"ouvelles Archives du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, 

 t. iii. pp. 1-19. 



I " Les choses se passent done comme si la plus gTande partie de la masse meteorique 

 ressortait de l'atmosphere pour continuer sa trajectoire, n'abandonnant que quelques 

 parcelles dont la vitesse, a la suite de 1' explosion, se trouvait amortie." — Op. cit. -p. 15. 



§ Comme on l'a dit. 



|| "Les meteorites charbonneuses contredisent I'hypothese que la chaleur des meteorites 

 est due a la perte de leur force vive." — Ojp. cit. p. 8. 

 "Sans explication." — Op. cit. p. 16. 



N 2 



