Year: 1862

Il Is impossible TO witness one Of these me-
teorS, which look 50 completely as il they were
stars that had started ont Of their proper
courses, without asking ourselves what it
means. If they are not falling staIs, IS the
common notion Of the ignorant has n4u.ei them,
are they solid At all. or are they merely flashes
of electric light? They a1e known 10 be not
only solid. but metallic; and It has frequently
occurred that when meteor has been seen to
pass peculiar mass Of metal has been found
on the spot. These acro,i;es, or meteoric
stones, as they are called. consist always OF The
same materials, VIZ: iron in the metallic state
combined with nicke, cobalt and other metals
in smaller proportions, but all more or less
magnetic, and not in the oxodized state in
which metals are always found on the earth.
( These meteoric stones, which it viii be borne


in mind are not stones at all, have the appear
ance Of having been exposed to great heat; as
any one may see in those remarkable speci-
mems in the British Museum, oue Of which
weighs several hundred weight, and its history
Is quite authentic. Iron IS the most susceptible
Of magnetism Of all substances If a bar of
iron be hammered it becomes magnetic, or if
it be placed on end for some years it gains the
same property fact that is often to be veri-
fed IN old kitchen pokers. Friction produces
the same effect; and it often happens that iron
struck by lightning acquires this property. as
occurs sometimes with the watch worn by the
person who has the misfortune to be struck.
II 4 metal contains only the 0000th part of
iron, it will become magnetic. All these facts
tend to confirm the opinion that the meteoric
substance is whirled along at a rapidity as
great as that Of the planets, and that meeting
in the atmosphere the resistance is so much
greater than when it moves in the pure space
OF the heavens, that the friction causes the
body to become heated to a white heat, aud
shows US the brilliant object we call meteor


Generally speaking, the nucleus OF meteor
falls somewhere upon the earth or sea, although
it rarely happens to be found; the opinion of
the astronomers is that myriads of such bodies
are flying about, and since they have been
NSeSLOA AlAttG StpcSss 1duN ueNC OSSu SCSu-
But a very large meteorite would have force
enough TO pass completely away from the
earth, although it came within its attraction,
and this is probably what happens when one Of
those large meteors is seen TO pass like some
firework sending out sparks. and making q
loud report. Several of this kind have been
seen computed 10 be as large as the planet
Ceres, which is about 20 miles in diameter.
One of these came within twenty five miles of
US ard shot off large fragment. If the whole
mass, which was estimated at 100000 tons,
had come into collision, the effect would have
been very different from the passage through
the tail of the new comet, which we lately ex-
perenced without so much as knowing that
such catastrophe had happened. 1t would
seem that we have much more to dread from
these meteorites than from the fimsey forms of
the comets. Let us hope that our fair planet
may continue to escape these chances. There
is one thing in our favor, and that is, that
these intrusive foreigners might be prevented
actually landing by the attraction of the moon
and other planets, and thus be kept whrling
round US at respectable distance, and in a
regular orbit. NJ. Petit, director of the OBJ
servatory at Toulouse, has determined that
there is at least one meteorite Of considerable
size moving in an orbit of about 5000 miles
from the surface of the earth, or twentysix
times nearer than the moon This body, he
says, moves round the earth every three hours
and twenty minutes. Sir John Herschel rath-
er favors this opinion, and explains that these
satellites are not visible, because they are too
small to shine by reflected light immense as
they mag be, they are like the dast dancing in
a sunbeam compared with the stars. Whole
showers Of meteors have been recorded, and we
have the authority Of DR.. Lardner for observa-
tion that the sun has been obscured at noon
on the brightest possible day in way that
can only be accounted for by the passing across
of these hocks Of meteorites.