400 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



enough, it was in the process of digging out one of these 

 sunken cellars that the black extremity of this piece of me- 

 teoric iron was noticed sticking in the clay, at a depth of some 

 three or four feet from the floor of the house. These pits 

 were dug out of the ground, close by the boundary of the 

 garden, on that part of it formerly covered by the broad 

 mound of earth, or old turf wall, which formed the original 

 fence. (The site of this house is well seen in the Ordnance 

 Survey Map of the village, in the small division No. 2211.) 



The unusual appearance and great weight of the black-look- 

 ing stone attracted the attention of Mr George Burnet, one of 

 the masons employed at the work ; and as he had a taste for 

 collecting anything peculiar, he carried it to his own cottage, 

 which was only a few doors farther down the village. Mr 

 George Burnet died in 1842, and Francis his brother suc- 

 ceeded to the cottage and garden, which he still occupies. 

 Some time after a stone wall was built round this cottage gar- 

 den, and as specimens of different kinds had been collected, 

 an old stone trough, which happened to be in the way, was 

 laid on its side and built into the wall, forming thus a sunk 

 recess, where those various specimens which were considered 

 scarcely ornamental enough to be kept in the dwelling house, 

 could be placed in safety ; and here this mass of meteoric iron 

 has lain, for five-and-thirty years ; exhibited from time to time, 

 with the other curiosities, to any chance visitor whose fancy 

 might lead him to examine them. 



Francis Burnet is an intelligent, observing man, and to him 

 I was formerly indebted for collecting some of the Roman 

 relics which were found in the neighbouring fields. When 

 residing in the district last summer, I visited the village, to 

 learn if anything new, or rather old, had been observed in the 

 course of the agricultural operations of the last few years ; 

 and my attention was soon attracted to the small collection of 

 specimens in Mr Burnet's garden. I was at once struck with 

 the very peculiar appearance of this mass of metal, which we 

 removed to the burn side at the foot of the garden, to get 

 washed and inspected more carefully. I then learned the 

 history of its discovery, already so minutely detailed, and after- 

 wards inspected the locality itself, being anxious to Collect 



