84 D. L. Cosari on Remarkable Hailstones. 9 



hailstones which fell during the storm. All his remarks are taken 

 from the observations he himself made on the spot to which he 

 fled for refuge, and which were repeated as soon as he could 

 without danger expose himself, and pick up particular hailstones 

 from the mass under his feet. He, however, adds, that his own 

 observations, in every particular, coincided with those which were 

 made by other individual^ in all parts of the city. 



It has been generally remarked, says the learned Italian, that 

 the hailstones were sometimes of a globular, and sometimes of a 

 flat form, and rough on their surface, with points and crystals. 

 For the sake of precision, I shall divide the remarks I am about 

 to make into two classes ; the former will comprehend those on 

 the hailstones which were of a flat and irregular shape, and the 

 latter upon the spherical ones. 



Hailstones of a Flattened and Irregular Shape. 

 (1.) Some of these fragments of ice presented the appearance 

 of an angular plate, of about an inch in thickness. Across one 

 of these surfaces, which was nearly flat and transparent, might 

 be perceived fine plates, some of which were rectilinear, and 

 others curved, opaque and whitish, which alternated with other 

 plates of transparent ice, which were not concentric, but nearly 

 parallel to the largest of the lateral faces of the plate. Adhering 

 to the opposite surface, there was also seen crystals of very pure 

 and transparent ice, quite distinct from each other, but interlaced 

 among themselves. They were inclined on the surface, and 

 stood at an angle of about 45° ; the length of these crystals was 

 nearly an inch and a half, and their form that of a four sided 

 prism, one side of which was very small in comparison of the 

 other three. Each prism was terminated by a pyramid which 

 had also four sides. The plates presented the appearance of a 

 crystallized sediment. The greatest distance comprehended be- 

 tween two of the angles which they formed, varied from four to 

 eight inches. 



(2.) It was also observed, that the irregular pieces of ice, 

 which were of a flattened and somewhat double-convex shape, 

 presented a rough surface, with an angular and irregular out- 

 line, and mixed with rudimental four-sided prismatic crystals. 

 There were also a great number of a circular and elliptical 



