Such are the records of antient history. And in Holy Writ also a remembrance of similar events is preserved.
For when the royal Psalmist says,[X] "The Lord also thundered out of heaven, and the Highest gave his thunder: hail-stones, and coals of fire,"—the latter expression, in consistency with common sense, and conformably to the right meaning of language, cannot but allude to some such phænomenon as we have been describing. And especially, as in the cautious translation of the seventy, a Greek word is used, which decidedly means real hard substances made red hot; and not mere appearances of fire or flame.
Whilst therefore, with the same sacred writer,[Y] we should be led to consider all these powerful operations, as the works of God; Who casteth forth his ice like morsels;[Z] and should be led to consider "fire and hail, snow and vapours, wind and storm as fulfilling his word;"[AA] we should also be led to perceive, that the objections to Holy Writ, founded on a supposed impossibility of the truth of what is written in the book of Joshua,[BB] concerning the stones that fell from heaven, on the army of the Canaanites; are only founded in ignorance, and error.
And much more should we be led to do so; when, to these observations, and testimonies, concerning showers of hot burning stones, is added the consideration; that within the short period of our own lives, incredibly large real hail-stones, formed of consolidated ice;—of ice consolidated in the atmosphere, have fallen both in France, and in England.
In France, on the 13th of July in the year 1788;—of which it is well known there has been a printed account: and concerning which it is said, and has been confirmed, on good authority, that some of the stones weighed three pounds: whilst others have been said to weigh even five pounds.
And in England, on the 20th of October, 1791, in Cornwall.
Of one of the hail-stones of this latter, minor storm, I have had an opportunity of obtaining, by the favour of a friend, an exact model in glass; whereof I now add an engraving.
This stone fell, with thousands of others of the same kind, near Menabilly, the seat of Philip Rashleigh, Esq.; well known for his science, and attention to whatever is curious; who having great copper works, and many ingenious miners, and workmen, on his estate, and directly under his eye; caused it to be instantly picked up: and having then, himself, first traced both its top, and bottom, upon paper; and having measured its thickness in every part, with a pair of compasses; caused a very exact mould to be formed: and afterwards, in that mould, had this model cast in glass: wherein, also, the appearances of the imbedded, common, small, roundish hail-stones, are seen transparently; just as they appeared in the great hail-stone itself originally.
[Fig. 1,] is a representation of the flat bottom of the stone.
Fig. 2, is a representation of the top of the stone.