J94< METEORIC STONES. 
They have been seen only in shapeless masses, of from a 
Jew ounces to several hundred pounds in weight. Their tex- 
ture is granular. They are covered externally with a thin 
blackish crust, and are, internally, of an ashy grey colour, 
mixed with shining minute particles. 
There is sufficient evidence to show that solid masses 
of stone have been observed to fall from the air at a 
period considerably anterior to the Christian era. Not- 
withstanding this, so very extraordinary was the phe- 
nomenon, that, until the year 1802, it was generally re- 
garded by philosophers as a vulgar error. Mr. Howard, 
in that year, submitted to the Royal Society a paper 
which contained an accurate examination of the testi- 
monies connected with events of this kind; and de- 
scribed a minute analysis of several of the substances 
which had been said to have fallen in different parts of 
the globe. The result of his examination was that all 
these stony bodies differ completely from every other 
known stone; that they all resemble each other, and are 
all composed of the same ingredients. 
The greatest number of the stones which have fallen 
from the air have been preceded by the appearance of 
luminous bodies or meteors. These meteors have burst 
with an explosion, and then the shower of stones has fallen 
to the earth. Sometimes the stones have continued lu- 
minous until they sunk into the earth, but most com- 
monly their luminousness disappeared at the time of the 
explosion. Their motion through the air is surprisingly 
rapid, in a direction nearly horizontal; but they seem 
to approach the earth before they explode. In their 
flight they have frequently been heard to yield a loud 
whizzing sound. They are hot when they first reach 
the earth ; and exhibit, on their surface, visible marks 
effusion. 
A general tradition has prevailed in almost all ages, 
and amongst all people, of the fall of solid bodies from 
the atmosphere, under various denominations, but, with 
us, more particularly, under that of thunderbolts. In 
barbarous and uncivilized countries, these have usually 
