CORRESPONDENCE ON THE COLD BOKKEVELD METEOROLITE. 
181 
Dr . Treuter’s Letters to Thomas Maclear, Esq. 
Worcester, 4th June, 1839. 
My dear Sir, 
I have great pleasure in acknowledging your letter of the 1st of May last, and feel 
much obliged for the copy of Sir J. Herschel’s interesting letter. Although I have 
been prevented returning you an earlier answer, I have not forgotten the main object 
of our present correspondence, and have already secured about four pound in Dutch 
weight of the meteorolite, and given directions to obtain all the fragments, which 
maybe in possession of some individuals of this division, which I will give myself the 
pleasure to forward to you by the first fit opportunity which may offer. I am also in 
possession of an affidavit of a person who happened to be quite close to the spot where 
the burst took place and the meteorolite fell, and will be able to accompany it with 
a pretty correct sketch of the direction the meteor took. From all information I have 
been able to collect, it appears there are only two spots, distant about twenty-five 
miles from each other, where an explosion of the meteor occurred with the fall of 
stones. I should advise you not to make any public announcement of it in the papers, 
for the people will fancy that it is of such very great value that they may weigh it 
with gold. 
Believe me, my dear Sir, 
Most truly yours, 
T, Maclear, Esq. J. Treuter. 
8$c. &c. 8$c. 
Worcester, 10th July, 1839. 
My dear Sir, 
I have much pleasure in availing myself of this opportunity to forward to you here- 
with the fragments I have been able to collect of the meteorolite. From all the in- 
formation I obtained on the subject of the meteor of the 13th of October 1838, of 
which the sensation was felt simultaneously over an extent of upwards of 150 miles, it 
appears that the falling of meteorolites was only observed at two places, distant from 
each other, as the bird flies, about twenty-five miles ; and that the fall of these mete- 
orolites was accompanied with an explosion resembling the loudest peal of thunder. 
The atmosphere was in such an agitation, that the windows of the houses were shaken 
as from a violent wind, and the noise produced was that of a swift passing waggon 
heavily laden. The first conclusion the people drew from it was that of its being a 
slight shock of an earthquake. On the spots where the meteor was observed, it 
appeared to take its course from north-west to south-east, with a loud hissing noise, 
producing a train of evanescent light. At the time, the sky was quite clear ; no wind ; 
the atmosphere sultry. 
