Washington telegraph., 1853-12-14
Meteors, Aerolites, and Shooting
Stars.

IN every age and in every region Of III,
world there have from time to time beer
witnessed those strangely irregular, wander
ing lights which. traversing the heavens
suddenly kindle into blaze above us, ane
then as suddenly are lost again in darkness
In former ages such wonders were deemed
the harbingers Of dire events, and were
hailed by mankind with trembling hearts a.
ominous of some grea. calamity-war. fam
inc, or pestilence. But the gradual though
rapid Advancement Of civilization and q
science has banished such ancient supersti-
tions, and light is beginning to be she'd upon
the true nature of these singular phenome
na. An interesting article published in the
London Quarterly Review in relation to the
past history of this wonderful branch Of sci.
ence has appeared in the Eclectic Magazine
and from it we gather few interesting facts
relating to the subject.
Nat. Infeliirecey.
To the final establishment Of the exis-
tence of aerolites, or falling stones. We chief,
w owe the Jealous scientific research which
has since been given to the subject of fnetc-
ors. These falling stones are much less fire.
quent than the meteorc lights which blazed
before the eyes of nations and it is only
within the last half century that science
has admitted them within her palc--reluc-
tantly. it might almost be said. as well as
tardilv, and relying even more on proofs
furnished by physical characters Of the fall
inc bodies than on the historical evidence
of their descent Among the ancients in
deed, reports existed Of masses Of stone Of
various sizes falling from the sky, preceded
by vivid lightning and explosion. These
stones were made the subject of supersti-
tious belief. and were venerated for their
supposed divine origin. Until very recent
". however, the theories Of the naturalists
meteors went little beyond GER
tain vague notions of infammable gases or
electrical actions in the atmosphere but
when it was fairly admitted that meteors
were sometimes accompanied by the precip-
ita'ion of stones or earthly or metallic mat
tcrs from the sky. and that the composition
of these bodies of singular and very
similar character. it became- obvious that
new elements were concerned of which
science was not yet ccgrizant
The spirit of inquiry being awakened on
the subject of meteors it was natural 10 re-
cur to history for evidences OF similar phe-
nomena in prior ages; and we find that
while the records Of Greece and Rome,
and of the middle ages of Europe. furnish
us only with scattered notices Of these aero
litcs, it is far otherwise with the Chinese
There exist among this singular people au-
thentic catalogues of remarkable metcors Of
all classes, aerolites included. which have
there during period Of 2,400
years. It is only within a very recent Pc
Rod that the science Of Europe has placed
itself in competition with these extraordina-
rv documents. The catalogue Of authentic
instances of aerolites by Chaldni, in 1874
formed an epoch in the study Of meteorires.
Until this moment scarcely one man of sci
ence had given assent to or even considered
the subject IS a matter Of evidence and
it was not until the chemists crucibe and
scrutiny Of the mincraloeist disclosed the
singular character of these stories that the
belief. which had been 50 long denied, was
A store which fell at the
Wold Cottage Yorkshire whose fall was
seen by two persons. was what contributed
most explicitly 10 the conversion. A few
months afer fall Of 1000 or 5000 stones
occurred in Normandy. and other instances
on every side. The largest aer-
olite vet known is at Otumra. 10 Brazil.
and is estimated to weigh 1900 lbs.
Twenty different elements have been dis
covered in aerolites all Of which actually
exist in the earth, thoneh never similarly
combined there. Iron is the substance
most largely predominant. Seven other
tin nickel, cobalt, chrome.
and molydbena-enter various
" into their composition. Their specific
gravity varies greatly. according to the ma
ture and proportion of their constituents.
VARYING from twice to six or seven times
the weight of water.
A number Of theories respecting the ma
ture and origin of aerolites have been offer
ed At one time a vague notion prevailed
that they might be the product Of our own
volcanoes--st stones forcbly elected thence
partaking for time of the motion Of the
earth, but in the end returning TO it. This
opinion has no longer an advocate. "A Sc
cond hypothesis. long. since relnquished rs
untenable. was that stones do not actually
fall. bnt that lightning or electricity in some
meteoric shape. Infringing upon the earth,
fuses the earthly and metallic minerals on
the @pot. so as to admit of their reconsollda-
ton in new forms Another solution still,
which however. was not long maintained.
was founded on the hypothesis Of atmospheric
origin assuming that the elements Of which
acrolitcs arc composed might be slowly alb
sorbed into the atmosphere. and retained
there in that state of extreme diffusion M
Ill some accidental electrical or other agency
should cause their sudden aggregation and
precipitate them to the earth. The idea q
lunar origin next came into vogue. and wa'
discussed and advocated BY philosophers O
of eminencc. Laplace, Poisson, Blot, anc