FOREIGN COERESPONDENOE. 



257 



FOEEIGN CORIIESPONDENCE. 

 By Dr. T. L. Phipson, of Paris. 



History of a large and recent Aerolite — Its Mineralogical Composition — 

 Vibrations of the Earth — A neio Mineral, Vitriolite — The Metal 

 Tungsten. 



Much attention has been excited in France for some few months past 

 by the fall of a large aerolite, which took place in the canton of 

 Montrejeau on the 9th of December last. We have now all the details 

 that we are ever likely to have concerning this remarkable meteor. 

 It fell about seven o'clock in the morning, appearing first in the 

 north-east like a large red-hot bomb,- which passed rapidly to the 

 south-west, where it remained stationary for an instant. It then 

 emitted a considerable column of smoke and flame ; three seconds 

 after which a loud detonation was heard, followed by a rumbling 

 noise. Although in broad daylight, the little town of Auriguac was 

 completely illuminated by the passage of this aerolite. After the 

 explosion nothing was observed in the sky but a streak of vapour and 

 a small cloud which marked out the direction followed by the meteoric 

 stone, and the place where it exploded. Shortly after this phenomenon 

 two large fragments of the aerolite were picked up in the parishes of 

 Aussan and Clarac ; one of these weighed about 90 lbs., and had sunk 

 into the gi'ound for nearly two yards ; the other, that fell at Clarac, 

 broke through the roof of a cottage; it weighed from 16 to 20 lbs., * 

 and was so hot when first seen that it could not be touched for some 

 time. These blocks present rounded forms, their surface is black and 

 smooth, the interior is formed of a sort of grey substance, not unlike 

 certain volcanic products in structure. 



We enter into these details for two reasons : first, they are authentic; 

 and secondly, they represent the history of almost every aerolite that 

 has been thoroughly observed. The aerolite of which we speak is 

 not uneasily broken into fragments. According to MM. Filhol and 

 Leymerie, who have examined it, its specific gravity is 3.30 ; and it 

 presents in its gi^anular structure numerous small and brilliant laminse 

 of a metallic lustre. The stone attracts the magnet, but has no poles. 

 Before the blow-pipe it becomes black, and emits a sulphurous odour, 

 but does not melt. To fuse it completely, it was found necessary to 

 employ the oxy-hydrogen blow-pipe ; the result was a black globule, 

 not unlike the crust or rind of the aerolite itself. MM. Filhol and 

 Leymerie have analysed this stone ; but their analysis is not good. 

 We are indebted to MM. Chancel and Moitessier, of Montpellier, for 

 a knowledge of its exact composition. They afiirm that the aerolite 

 of Montrejeau resembles, in a chemical and mineralogical point of 

 view, those of Chantonay and Chateau-Renard, of which we have 



