I leave the fact to rest on the support of the testimonies referred to in the printed paper, which is in so many persons' hands; and that is given to those who have the curiosity to examine the stone itself, now exhibiting in London;—and shall only relate the substance of the account shortly, as it is given to us.
In the afternoon of the 13th of December, 1795, near the Wold Cottage, noises were heard in the air, by various persons, like the report of a pistol; or of guns at a distance at sea; though there was neither any thunder or lightning at the time:—two distinct concussions of the earth were said to be perceived:—and an hissing noise, was also affirmed to be heard by other persons, as of something passing through the air;—and a labouring man plainly saw (as we are told) that something was so passing; and beheld a stone, as it seemed, at last, (about ten yards, or thirty feet, distant from the ground) descending, and striking into the ground, which flew up all about him: and in falling, sparks of fire, seemed to fly from it.
Afterwards he went to the place, in company with others; who had witnessed part of the phænomena, and dug the stone up from the place, where it was buried about twenty-one inches deep.
It smelt, (as it is said,) very strongly of sulphur, when it was dug up: and was even warm, and smoked:—it was found to be thirty inches in length, and twenty-eight and a half inches in breadth. And it weighed fifty-six pounds.
Such is the account.—I affirm nothing.—Neither do I pretend either absolutely to believe: or to disbelieve.—I have not an opportunity to examine the whole of the evidence.—But it may be examined: and so I leave it to be.
This, however, I will say: that first I saw a fragment of this stone; which had come into the hands of Sir Charles Blagden, from the Duke of Leeds: and afterwards I saw the stone itself.—That it plainly had a dark, black crust; with several concave impressions on the outside, which must have been made before it was quite hardened; just like what is related concerning the crusts of those stones that fell in Italy.—That its substance was not properly of a granite kind, as described in the printed paper; but a sort of grit stone; composed (somewhat like the stones said to have fallen in Italy) of sand and ashes.—That it contained very many particles, obviously of the appearance of gold, and silver, and iron; (or rather more truly of pyrites).—That there were also several small rusty specks; probably from decomposed pyrites;—and some striated marks;—that it does not effervesce with acids;—and that, as far as I have ever seen, or known, or have been able to obtain any information, no such stone has ever been found, before this time, in Yorkshire; or in any part of England. Nor can I easily conceive that such a species of stone could be formed, by art, to impose upon the public.
Whether, therefore, it might, or might not, possibly be the effect of ashes flung out from Heckla, and wafted to England; like those flung out from Vesuvius, and (as I am disposed to believe) wafted to Tuscany, I have nothing to affirm.
I wish to be understood to preserve mere records, the full authority for which, deserves to be investigated more and more.
Having, nevertheless, gone so far as to say thus much; I ought to add, that the memorial of such sort of large stones having fallen from the clouds is still preserved also in Germany.
For one is recorded to have fallen in Alsace, in the midst of a storm of hail, November 29th, A. D. 1630;[DD] which is said to be preserved in the great church of Anxissem: and to be like a large dark sort of flint-stone; having its surface operated upon by fire: and to be of very many pounds weight.