On the present occasion, the coloured rain and snow seem to have fallen over a great extent of country ; for red rain fell in the two Calabt ias, and on the opposite side of Abruzzo, the wind being at east and south-east. Snow and hail, of a yellow-red colour, fell over all Tus cany, with a north wind. Red snow fell at Tolmezzo, and in the Carnian Aips, the wind being at north-east ; and, finally, snow of a brownish-yellow fell at Bologna, the wind being south-west.
September 10, 1813. Samuel M.ixwell, Esq. a gen tleman of the highest respectability, and an ocular wit ness of the scene which he describes, communicates, in substance, the ensuing particulars to William Higgins, Esq. of the Dublin Society.
Friday morning being very calm and serene, and the sky being clear, about nine o'clock, a cloud appeared in the east, from which proceeded eleven distinct reports, somewhat resembling the discharge of heavy artillery. These were immediately followed by a considerable noise, not unlike the beating of a large drum, was succeeded by an uproar, resembling the continuous dis charge of musketry in line. The sky above the place whence the noise seemed to issue, became dark and agi tated, emitting a hissing noise, and projected with great violence, different masses of matter, which shaped their course, with great velocity, in 4 horizontal direction to wards the west. One of them. which was observed to descend, fell to the earth, and sunk into it more than a foot and a half, on the lands of Scagh, in the neighbour hood of Pobuck's Well, in the county of Limerick. Being immediately dug out, it felt hot, and had a sul phureous smell, with the whole of its surface uniformly smooth and black, the entire mass weighing 17 lb. Six or seven more, but smaller and fractured, alighted at the same time with great force, in different places, between the lands of Scagh and the village of Adare. Another very large mass passed with great rapidity, and a con siderable noise, at no great distance from Mr. Maxwell, came to the ground on the lands of Brasky, and pene trated through a very hard and dry earth, to the depth of two feet. This last was not taken up for two days, when it was found to weigh about 65 lb. and to be frac tured in many places. Another, weighing above 24 lb. and very heavy for its bulk, hut exhibiting no symptoms of fracture, fell on the lands of Faha.
" There was no flash of lightning at the time of, or immediately before or after the explosion ; the day con tinued very calm and serene ; was rather close and sultry, and without wind or rain. It is about three miles in a direct line from the lands of Brasky, where the very large stone descended to the place where the small one fell in Adare, and all the others fell immediately ; but they appeared to descend horizontally, and as if dis charged from a bomb, and scattered in the air."
February 3, 1814. Stones fell in Bachmut, in Russia. Gilb. An. T. 50. Giese, who analysed a specimen, re ports, 90.50 September 5, 1814. In the 92d volume of the Annales de Chimie, NI. de Saint-Amans relates the following cir cumstance of what he terms, not improperly, uranolites, near Agen.
A few minutes before mid-day, the wind being north erly, and the sky perfectly serene, a violent detonation was heard in the communes of Montpezat, Temple, Cas telmoron, and Montelar, situated in the first, second, and fourth arrondissemena of the department of the Lot and Garonne. This unusual detonation was immediately followed by three or four others, at an interval of half a second, successively ; and finally, by a rolling noise, at first resembling a discharge of musketry, afterwards the rumbling of carriages, and, lastly, that of a large build ing falling down. These strange noises, which pro ceeded from the centre of the department, were more or less audible within a circle of several leagues. The re semblance and volume of the stones which were pre cipitated to the ground, on the cessation of the explo sions, appear to have been considerable. Some were sent to the prefect, who transmitted them to the minis ter of the interior, others were distributed among the curious, while many were picked up by the peasants, and venerated as rcliques. Two are mentioned as weigh ing eighteen pounds each. It should seem that they were not found warm at the moment of their fall ; that the heaviest sunk into a compact soil to the depth of eight or nine inches, and that one of them rebounded three or four feet from the ground. It is added, that they fell obliquely, making an angle of from 65 to 70 de grees with the horizontal line, and that they diverged in their fall, affecting various directions in the different communes in which they fell. All the specimens of these stones which I saw," observes the reporter, " pre sent no character to the eye which can make them be distinguished from those which I have hitherto had oc casion to examine, or which I have in my cabinet : they merely seemed to be more friable and more porous than the latter." His account of the white cloud, too, which accompanied the meteor, corresponds with those of such as have more than once been observed to attend similar appearances.