MR. MACLEAR ON THE FALL OF THE COLD BOKKEVELD METEOROL1TE. 179 
towards and brought to his master. The position of the spot was shown to us by 
the servant. I forgot to inquire to whom this specimen was given. 
Each of these persons declares that the meteorolites were so hot on approaching 
them that they could not lay hold of them. 
I have thus enumerated all that were seen falling. The curiosity of the people 
being excited they made further search. A mass was discovered on the road to the 
N.E. of Van Heeren’s house beyond the swampy ground, but fractured, apparently 
in striking against the hard ground. 
Barand Joosteen found a lump which separated into fragments on taking it up, 
owing, he thinks, to exposure to moisture. He had parted with some of it ; the re- 
mainder, weighing nearly four pounds avoirdupois, he kindly presented to us. 
Pieter de Toit found a quantity in fragments on the road near his house. Also 
another at position D, which was given to Mr. Fahn and is the first I sent to you. 
His son found a portion at position A. He showed us the places in person. 
I am unable to estimate the total weight of the pieces that were found atDE Toit’s, 
for he had given them away to applicants. I understand they were brought to Cape 
Town, and that Mr. G. Thompson sent a piece of one to England. 
I consider I am justified in the opinion that but a small proportion of the whole 
mass has been found, because six persons only chanced to be sufficiently near the 
track to witness the fall ; two of them within a mile of each other. These were close 
together, but six or seven miles from the first, while only one was in the open air at 
De Toit’s, seventeen miles further on, according to the map. The intervening ground 
is covered with brushwood and heath, similar to that on the floats about Tiger 
Berg, excepting a few cultivated patches of small extent. 
The people, surprised by the presence of an imposing spectacle, the nature of which 
they could not well comprehend, would naturally follow up alone and without further 
consideration whatever first caught the eye, and this is supported by the fact of 
several portions being discovered at comparatively short distances from the witnesses, 
but unseen at the time of explosion. I may also remark, that beyond De Toit’s 
house for a considerable distance in the direction of the line of flight, there is nothing 
but rugged mountain, without, I believe, inhabitants. 
It appears that the portion which sunk in the moist ground near Van Heeren’s 
is the one which gave rise to the exaggerated statement made to me, “ of a piece 
having made a hole in the ground large enough to admit a table.” 
Kieviet declares in his affidavit, that the piece he picked up was originally seven 
or eight pounds weight. The specimen was sent to me by Dr. Truter, and I for- 
warded it to Captain Beaufort as I received it. The weight was rather more than 
four pounds; and, so far as I can recollect the shape of the fractured surface, I do not 
think much had been broken off. However, I believe this to be the largest specimen 
yet discovered. 
In my first communication to you, I stated that the line of flight was north-westerly, 
2 a 2 
