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a large meteor of great splendour.” It is remarkable that
on this same day, according to the Journal of Science,*
Copiapo to tlie nortimard was visited by a severe eartli-
quake, which on the fifth was followed by a much more
violent shock. Molina! states that tbe first shock which
announced the great eartliquake at midnight on the 24th of
May, 1 7 5 1 , “ was accompanied by a hall of fire, which
precipitated itself from the Andes toward the sea.” It is
said in the Encyclo. Metropol.— (art. Meteorology)—“ A t
Kingston, in Jamaica, in November 1812, a large meteor
appeared a few minutes previous to some alarming and
tremendous concussions.” Aguerros J states, on the authority
of Ovalle, that in the morning of May 14th, i633,
Carelmapu (north of Chiloe) was overthrown hy a bad
earthquake, accompanied by a great noise ; and that while
the people were considering the cause, they saw over a
high hill near the village a globe of fire, which appeared
to threaten the last day. It rose and quickly proceeded so
as to fall in the sea, disturbing the neighbouring waters.
This was accompanied by a great tempest, darkness, and
a hail-storm, in which pieces of ice fell as large as
musket-balls.
I have copied the foregoing notices, because under any
point of view, it is remarkable that in one quarter of the
globe there should have been so many coincidences between
phenomena of not very common occurrence. It must, however,
he observed, that the coincidence is not precise ; the
* V o l. x v ii.
! M o lin a (S p a n is h e d itio n ) , vo l. i., p . 3 3 . A t six o’c lo ck in th e e v e n in
g o f th e 2 6 th o f M a y o f t h e s ame y e a r, th a t is a b o u t th ir ty - s e v e n h o u rs
a f te r th e C o n c e p c io n e a rth q u a k e , tw o m e te o ric s to n e s fell n e a r A g ram in
C ro a tia . T h e y w e r e s e e n comingftrom th e west, w h ic h is in a n o p p o s ite
d ire c tio n to th e c o u rse o f th e C h ilia n m e te o r. T h is n e a r c o in c id e n ce o f
tim e was o f c o u rs e on ly a c c id e n ta l.
f D e s c rip c ió n H is to r ia l d e C h ilo e , p . 104. “ V ie ro n so b re u n m o n te
o c e rro a lto inm e d ia to a l p u e b lo , u n g lo b o d e fu eg o q u e p a re c ia am e n e -
7,ad a la u ltim a de sg ra c ia . E le v ó se y fué lu eg o a c a e r a l m a r, a lte ra n d o
inm e d ia tam e n te su s ag u a s.”
meteors having been seen in some cases a little liefore,
in others a little after the earthquake. From the account
given in Aguerros of the waters of the sea having been
disturbed, and from that by Miers of an apparent explosion,
it would appear that these meteors must be the
same with those that accompany the fall of meteoric stones.
This perhaps alone, is an argument that they are accidental
accompaniments of earthquakes; for there seems to be 1 10
rational method of explaining the origin of meteorolites
on any hypothesis directly connected with our world. It
is however very singular, that all their constituent parts
should be of the same nature as those found on tliis earth,
—that the metals should be chiefiy those most subject to
magnetic influence,—and that olivine should frequently lie
present; a mineral* which is exclusively confined to a
certain class of volcanic products.
To return to the valley of Copiapo. Finding little of
interest in this part of the ravine, we retraced our steps to
the house of Don Benito, where I staid two days collecting
fossil shells and silicified wood. The latter was present in
the most extraordinary quantity: it was here that I found
a cylindrical trunk, fifteen feet in circumference, projecting
from tlie side of a hill. It was amusing to hear discussions
concerning the nature of the fossil shells,—whether or not
they had been thus “ born by nature,”—carried on almost
in the same terms as were used a century before in Europe.
My geological examination of the country generally created
a good deal of surprise amongst tlie Chilenos: it was long
before they would be convinced that I was not hunting for
mines. This was sometimes troublesome. I found the most
* O liv in e is k n ow n to a c com p a n y b a s a ltic in o p p o s itio n to c lin k s to n e
ro ck s . G m e lin says, “ N a tro n a n d p o ta s h c h a ra c te r iz e c lin k s to n e ; iro n
a n d m ag n e s ia, b a s a lt.” " Magne.sia a n d iro n sh ow a g r e a t te n d e n c y to
e n te r in to c om b in a tio n w ith e a ch o th e r .” T h e s e tw o l a t t e r su b s ta n c e s
a r e m a in c o n s titu e n ts o f m e te o ric s to n e s , wh ile th e a lk a lie s a re g e n e ra lly
p r e s e n t in v e ry sm a ll q u a n titie s . G m e lin o n C lin k s to n e , E d in b u rg h
N ew P h ilo s o p h . .Tournal, A p r il, 1829.
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