438 
the fame day, the fame hour, and the 
fame moment, making ufe of the fame 
comparifons ; and this fact, fo ftrongly 
and fo generally attefted, is only a confe- 
quence of the phyfical proofs previoufly 
colleéted ; which is, that fiones of a pe- 
culiar nature fell in that country imme-- 
diaiely after the explofion of April 26. 
‘© Befides, traces which ftrongly atrett 
the fall of thefe mafles, never mentioned 
without terror, are ftill fhown. The in- 
habitants fay that they faw them defcend 
along the roofs of the houfes like hail, 
break the branches of the trees, and re- 
bound after they fell on the pavement. 
They fay they faw the earth {moke around 
the largeft of them, and that they fill 
burnt after they were in their hands. 
Thefe accounts are given and the traces 
fhown only ina certain extent. Itvis there 
only that meteoric ftoues are found on the 
ground. Not a fragment is found be- 
yond that diftriét, and there is not a fingle 
perfon who pretends to have ieen any of 
them fall beyond it. 
Maemoir of the late Dr. Fofeph Towers. 
{ Dec. #, 
«‘ All the phyfical and moral proofs 
which it has been poffible to colleét are, 
therefore, concentrated, and converge to~ 
wards one point: and, if we confider the 
manner in which I was led, by a compa- 
rifon of the te@imonies, to the place of 
the explcfion; the number of particulars 
which I colicéted on the fpot; their coin- 
cidence with thofe which I brought from 
the diftance of ten leagues; the multitude 
of the witneffes ; their moral chara@ter ; 
the refemblance of their accounts, and 
perfect agreement from whatever part ob. 
tained, without its being poffible to difeo- 
ver a fingle exception in that refpect , it 
may be concluded, without the fimalleft 
doubt, that the faét to which thefe proofs 
refer a€tually took place, and that ftones 
really fell in the neighbourhood cf L’Aigle 
on the 26th of April 1803.” 
In our next will be given the analyfis of 
thefe feveral ftones, with the various theo- 
ries adopted by philofophers, to account for 
the phenomena, 
Se 
MEMOIRS OF 
MEMOIR Of the late DR. JOSEPH TOWERS. 
OSEPH TOWERS, LL.D. a learned 
divine among the Preteftant Diffen- 
ters ; but more generally and extenfively 
known as a biographical writer, and the 
author of feveral political, and other va- 
luable works, was born in the parifh of 
St. George, the Martyr, in the Borough 
ef Southwark, on the 31ft day of March, 
17379 OWS. 
His parents were perfons of great fe- 
_rioufnels, and Diflenters from principle ; 
and although their ftation in life was 
humble, and their means of fubfitence, 
not confiderable, yet their minds were well 
flored with ufeful knowledge, and their 
virtues rerdered them refpectable. 
The father dealt principally in fecond- 
hand books ; he alfo fold pamphlets, and 
cheap publications defigned to inftruét and 
. entertain young people. For thefe, and 
the periodical works of his time, he was 
accuitomed to receive orders, and often to 
deliver tnem himfelf at the houfes of many 
of the inhabitants of the metropolis and the 
villages adjacent ; whilft his mother, as 
far as domeftic concerns would adm't, 
attended to the bufinefs at home. ‘Thus, 
by habits of induftry and fobnety, they 
brought up a family ina decent and reli- 
gious manner. 
Pa 
EMINENT PERSONS. 
a 
Jofeph, their eldeft child, early in Tife 
diicovered a thirft after knowledge, and 
took great delight in reading. 
The ftock of books kept by his father 
furnifhing him with variety of inftruc- 
tion, his vacant time was principally de- 
voted to the perufal of the works of fuch 
authors as were molt fuitable to his in- 
clinations. He had slfo a decided tafte for 
drawing, and, when very young; took 
feveral likeneffes which befpoke genius, 
and were much admired.* But’ the 
firong bias of his mind to books, foon 
occafivned him to abarnden the idea of 
practifing with the perleverance neceflary 
to make any covfiderable proficiency in 
this charming art. 
‘The inftruCtions he received from his 
paren sin his infancy, like good feed fown 
in a feitile foil, were by his habitual ap- 
* His firit mafter, of whole veracity none 
who know him can entertain a doubt, in ‘his 
communication to this effect, has added, SA 
gentleman, on feeing one of hisdrawings, was 
fo pleafed, that he afked my leave to per- 
mit him to come to his apartment in Alderf- 
gate-flreet, and take his portrait; liberty 
was granted, and at two Sttings the bufinefs 
was effe€ted to the credit of the artiit; for 
he had not flattered his employer in the 
leaft, as every one who faw it, named the ori 
ginal.” ' 
plication 
