FOIIEIGN COUHKSrONUJ'JNOK. 
257 
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. 
By Dr. T. L. Phipson, of Pakis. 
llistory of a large and recent Aerolite — Jtn Miiieraloyiail Com /lo.^ it Ion. — ^ 
Vibrations of the Earth — A new Mineral, Vitriolite — I'he Metal 
Tungsten. 
Much attention has been excited in France for some few mouths past 
by the fall of a largo 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 ground 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-aiaular structure numerous small and brilliant laminje 
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 affirm that the aerolite 
of Montrejeau resembles, in a chemical and mineralogical point of 
view, those of Chantonay and Chateau-Renard, of which we have 
