1803. ] 
NET; the fecond has been repeated by 
the commiffaries. The embryos, fown 
Without cotyledons, have, it is true, 
grown bigger; an embryo of a haricot 
has likewile reached twelve millimetres, 
but then perifhed. ; 
3. The author has fown haricots, the 
radicule of which he had cut; he faw 
young plants arife from it, which, ac- 
cording to his expreffions, fucceeded won- 
dertully.. ‘This experiment, repeated by 
the tommiflaries on the dolichos lablab, 
did not fucceed. 
4. Citizen Valtel has fown haricots, fo 
asto be able to cut the rad:cle in pro- 
portion to its growth ; the plumula thot 
out, and attained four decimetres— in 
length, which proves that the young ftalk 
may grow independently of the roots. 
This experiment, repeated by the com- 
miffaries on grains of peafe, of haricots, 
and of pompions, fucceeded very well. A: 
young pompion was fupported, for more 
than twenty days, by its cotelydons, 
which touched the earth by their upper 
extremity only. 
5. Cotelyduns of haricots, to which 
fome radicles adhered, and whofe plumu- 
Ja had been cut off, attained their perfe& 
growth, and produced ftalks. 
6. Radicles of haricots, feparated 
from the plumula and from the cotyle- 
dons, and placed in wet mofs, have ger- 
minated rapidly ; one of them attained 
eight centimetres. The commiffaries had 
no fuccefS in the repetition of this expe- 
riment. 
7. Plumules of haricots, feparated 
from the radicle and from the cotyle- 
dons,.and placed on wet mofs, were not 
long in augmenting, in re{peét. of volume; 
their {mall leaves were fomewhat blown, 
but quickly perifhed. This experiment 
was reoeated without fuccefs by the com- 
miffaries. 
8. And laftly, Citizen Valtel maintains, 
that cotyledons, fcparated from the plu- 
mula and radicle, have fometimes  pro- 
duced young plants, and fometimes only 
roots. The commiffaries have repeated 
this experiment without fuccefs, 
REFLECTIONS 0” certain ROCKY SUR} 
STANCES, wich, it-is pretended, have 
Jallen on the EARTH. 
" When an extraordinary fact is reported 
by men worthy of credit, who avow their 
having been witnefles of it, it becomis the 
part of found philofophy to explore and 
examine fuch a fact. 
If it is fupernatural, that is to fay, 
if it is contrary to the known and im- 
mutable laws of nature, we may. reject it 
MONTHLY Maé,. No, 95+ 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
523 
without hefitation, ; popular affent gives 
no weight to it, becaufe the people are 
difpofed to believe every thing. 
But if the fact affirmed, include not 
in itfelf any phyfical impoffibility, even 
admitting that there fhould net be found 
any fatisfagtory mode of explaining it, 
we ought not tu’ reject it-as abfurd, but 
fhould rather doubt, and wait for new 
proofs. 
If the writings of the ancients report 
fimilar phenomena, accompanied with the 
fame circumftances—if modern witneffes 
multiply, and are generally perfons of in- 
telligence and dilcernment—if they join 
to their recitals particulars, and furnifh 
proofs of the fame—and, laftly, if the 
faét announced militates fo flightly againk 
the laws of nature, that it may be repre- 
fented and explained bya plaufible hypo- 
thefis—the concurrence of all thefe cir- 
cumftances gives it a very high degree of 
probability. | 
Thefe confiderations apply, in all their 
extent, to a fact of which much has been 
{poken for fome time patt. r 
It is afferted, that certain rocky and 
metallic fubftances have fallen from the 
air upon the earth, at different periods, 
and in different places. We fhali relate 
the principal teltimonies on which this 
opinion is founded. 
And firft, in a letter written from Be- 
nares, in the Eaft Indies, by Mr. John 
Williams, and addreffed to the Prefident 
of the Royal Society of London, it is 
related, that on the 19th of December, 
1798, towards eight o’clock in the even- 
ing, the weather being perfectly calm, the 
inhabitants of Benares and the circumja- 
cent places perceived a meteor of a daz- 
zling brightnefs, and which refembied a 
large ball of fire. It was accompanied 
with a great noife, like that of thunder. 
A great number of ftones fell foon after 
on the ground, near the village of Krakut, 
to the north-ealt of the River Goanity, 
about eleven miles diftant fram Benares. 
Authentic documents in reference to this 
fact were taken on the fpot, by order of 
the magiftrate; they perfectly accord, 
Several fpecimens of tliefe ftones have 
been fent to Europe; they have been de- 
{cribed and analyfed by Meffrs. BourNoN 
and Howakb. Here follows the refult 
of their chemical labours: | 
The ftones are covered, through the 
whole extent of their furface, by a very 
thin ernft, of a dark black, ttrewed with 
little afperities, which produce, avhen 
touched, an impreffion like that ef @ fkin 
lightly thagreened. z 
4x — ‘The 
2 
