[ S‘° ] 
fibly perceived by fome who were in bed, and by 
Mrs. Weir and others who were dill up. It had a 
fenfible effedt upon fome birds in cages, and tame 
fowls ; they feemed both alarmed, the firffc fluttering 
very much, and the latter making a croaking noife, as 
in a great fright. It (hook the board out of one cage, 
and fpilt the water which was in the glafs. It was 
equally felt by thofe, who lived in ground-floors and 
in the fecOnd and third dories. Some fconces in 
Mr. Colquhoun’s houfe were obferved to vibrate du- 
ring the fhock : but nothing more happened worth 
notice. I am, See. 
As it may not be unacceptable to the Royal So- 
ciety, or you, to be informed of the following fadt, 
which I fuppofe you have not heard of, I was at fome 
pains to enquire particularly into the truth of itj 
about which I think there can now be no doubt. 
“ By a letter now in my cudody, from a paflenger 
on board the diip belonging to Mr. David 
Loch, merchant in Leith, and bound from Leith for 
Charles-town in South-Carolina,we are informed, that 
upon the night of the 23d or 2qth of October lad, when 
the weather was quite calm, a fliower of dud fell upon 
the decks, top? and fails of the drip, fo that next morning 
they were covered thick with it. The diip at this time 
was betwixt Shetland and Iceland, about 2 f leagues di- 
dant from the former, and which was theneared land.’* 
There were other letters came to this place, and to 
Leith, from paflengers on board the fame diip, con- 
firming the truth of what I have related, and con- 
taining fome of the dud. This diower was proba- 
