There fell, at the same time, at Valence, a village near Alais, another stone, of a rudely cubical form. of the size of a child's head, and about four pounds weight. The persons who witnessed its descent, were Pierre Reboul, and son, Vincent Mazel, and Pierre Esperaudieu, servant to the mayor of Valence, who were labouring in the fields when the explosions and rolling noise mentioned above arrested their attention. According to their report, these noises were followed by another, resembling that of an iron pulley, by means of which a bucket is rapidly let down into a draw-well. On looking up, they perceived a black body moving from the north, in an oblique direction, which fell among them, about fifteen paces from Reboul. They all ran to the spot, and found it half buried in the earth, still hot, and split into three parts, which were again divided, as each was desirous of having a speci men.
The Alais stone, according to Thenard, had such a strong resemblance to coal, that they who found it at tempted to burn it. Its specific gravity was 1940, con sequently very inferior to that of other meteorites whose specific gravity has been ascertained. Its internal sub stance exhibited some yellow specks of martial pyrites, and a great many cubical points, slightly united to one another, and so friable that the least pressure re duced them to fragments of the size of grains of sand. It was destitute of savour, and insoluble in water. When heated in the open air, its black hue passed to a reddish yellow; but, when heated in close vessels, remained unchanged. Before the common blow-pipe, it was infu sible, without addition ; but, when mixed with borax, it readily melted, and communicated to that salt a green ish-yellow tinge. The same ingenious chemist states component parts to be, Silica, 21 Magnesia, 9 Oxyd of iron, . 40 Nickel, . 2 50 Manganese, 2 Sulphur, 3.5 Chrome, . • 1 Carbon, • 2.5, the remainder being estimated as water. Vauquclin again reports, Silica, SO Magnesia, 11 Iron, . • 38 Nickel, . 2 Manganese, . 2 Sulphur, . 1 Chrome, 2.5 Carbon, a trace.
and the virtual import of these analyses was attested by Alonge, Fourcroy, and Berthollet.
May 17, 1806. As Mr. William Paice, of Basing stoke, Hants, was travelling with his cart, a few miles from home, he met a person, who inquired of him whether he had seen a stream of fire descend from the air, like a falling star, there having been some thunder just before. Mr. Paice had not observed it ; but, going on a little farther, he found a large ball, or stone, which he took up, while yet hot, from the middle of the road, threw it into his cart, and brought it home. It had a metallic appearance, and weighed two pounds and a hall. Month. Mag.
March 13, 1807. In the afternoon, the inhabitants of the Canton of Juchnow, in the government of SiTIO lensko, were alarmed by an uncommonly loud noise. which they supposed to be thunder ; and two peasants being out in the fields, perceived, at the distance of forty paces, a black stone, of considerable magnitude, falling to the earth, which it penetrated to a consider able depth beneath the snow. When dug up, it was
found to be of an oblong quadrangular figure, of a black ish colour, resembling cast iron, and to weigh t 60 pound T A fragment of this mass is preserved in the imperial cabinet of Vienna. Its specific gravity was 3.7 ; and Klaproth notes its constituents thus, 97 December 14, 1807. About half past six o'clock in the moriung, toe people to the north of Weston, in Connecticut. North America observed a lire-ball issu ing Irom a very dal k. cloud. Its apparent diameter was equal ,o that of the half, or of two-thirds, ol the moon ; its light was vivid and sparkling, like that of incandescent iron, and it left behind it a pate and wav ing luminous train, of a conical form, and ten or twelve times as lung as the diameter of its body, nut which was soon extinguished. This meteor, of which the apparent motion was less rapid than that of most others, continued visible for half a minute, during which it exhibited three successive bounds, with a di minution of its lustre. About thirty or forty seconds after its extinction, there were heard, during three se conds, three very loud repot ts, like the firing of a four pounder at a little distance ; and these were succeeded by a more prolonged and rolling noise. With the suc cessive explosions, stones were darted in the environs of Weston. and even into the town itself. These stones were found in six different places, nearly in the line of the meteor's path, and from six to tan miles distant from one another. They fell in the presence of many witnesses, some plunging into soft soil, and others breaking into fragments against the rocks on which they happened to impinge. The most entire specimen weighed 35 lb., hut a much larger was dashed in pieces against a rock of mica slate ; and. from the amount of fragments collected, it was estimated to have weighed 200 lb. At the moment of their fall, these stones were hot and friable ; but the y granually became hard by exposure to the air They had the black ex ternal crust of other meteorites. and the usual grey eine reous asp( ct within, with whitish-grey particles, of a rounded form, impacted in the mass, and a general granular texture, in which were observable, I. Globules of the same nature with the stone, but presenting a more compact structure, a more even fracture, and, un der a strong light. indications of a lamellar texture. with the appearance ol felspar ; 2. Grains of very white me tallic iron z 3 Grains of o yd of iron, of rust colour ; and, 4. Shining yellow sulphuret of iron, disseminated in very minute grains. Their specific gravity varied from 3 3 to 3.6, and their analysis, as reported by War den, yielded, Such is a mere outline of the principal circumstances relative to the Weston phenomenon, lor the more .onple details of which we must refer our made s to an inter esting memoir, inserted in the Medical Repository for 1807, the joint production of NI, ssrs Sdlimati and Kings ley, and to another by Mr. liowid ch, publisacir on the third volume of the American Academy ol Arts and Sciences, and repiinted in the 28th v Mute ul Nichol son's Journal.