CURIOUS PHENOMENON.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1985, 5 July 1880, Page 3

CURIOUS PHENOMENON.

Professor Silvestre has reported the following interesting particulars concerning a phenomenon lately observed in Sicily. During the atmospheric disturbance foreseen for the month of March, 1880, the influence of whioh was felt in Sicily, with rapid variations in the barometer, there was observed in Catania, for a few hours during the night of March 29th to March 30th last, a fall of meteoric dust, accompanied by rain. This duet, besides having the red colour, mineral and organic particles and minute infusoria frequently observed before on Bimilar occasions, was this time especially interesting, because it contained a considerable quantity of iron, either in a pure metallic state, or in metallic particles surrounded by an oxidised crust. The fragments were of sizes varying from 1 to 10 hundreds of millimetres ; some were of an irregular, othors of a perfectly spherical shape, as if they had been suddenly fused. All were immediately attracted by the magnet. This fact (discovered for the first time in dust gatheaed on board a ship in the Indian Ocean on the night of January 24th to January 25th, 1859, and afterwards confirmed by the illustrious Professor Nordenskjold on the Vega in the Arctic and other seat) is of immense importance to physical and geological science, as proving that iron, which is not known in a pure metallic stato on the surface of the earth, is to be regarded as of extra-terreßtial or cosmio origin, establishing a link between the earth and the chaotic material dispersed over the universe ; and as being also in strict relation with the phenomena cf aerolites and meteors. In conclusion, it may be remarked that the dust which fell in Sicily only differs in the sizo of its metallic particles from a shower of aerolites.