'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎46] (61/496)

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the body of our earth like cannon balls into an earthen rampart V Impressed
with this conviction, Mr Strickland originated the idea of the sateliitary nature of
shooting-stars and aerolites, and, to account for the nearly periodical recurrence
of an increased number of meteors at certain annual epochs> he conceives the elec
trical atmosphere of the earth to be from some annually recurring cause, tempo
rarily extended, intersecting the orbits of the satellites.
The question of the origin of shooting-stars seems to have excited more
controversy than any other j but for the solution of this difficulty Sir John Lub
bock apprehends we possess no data which do not apply equally to the moon and
the other bodies of the solar system. He treats them both as planetary and as
satellitary bodies, and refers to the interesting calculations of M. Petit, not only as
rendering probable the existence of small satellites, but tending to establish the
identity of a body revolving about the earth in about three hours twenty minutes.
Sir J. Lubbock attributes their luminosity to reflected light, and their obscuration
to eclipse. And it seems to him that the splitting of the falling stars, like a
rocket, and the trains of light, a phenomenon often witnessed, might, if other cir
cumstances were favorable to the explanation, be accounted for by supposing the
star to graze the surface of the shadow before absolute immersion. ,J
The following gentlemen were unanimously elected members of the So
ciety :—
1 st.—Henry Conybeare, Esq—proposed by the Revd. Geo. Pigott, and se
conded by Captain H. J. Barr.
2 i*l—Captain P. T. French—proposed by Dr Buisfc, and seconded by Dr
Glen.
for economical purposes. In no place has Utuminous coal ever been met with worth working
above the magnesian limestone. Statements have been made to this effect, but, when nronerlv
examined, have invariably been found to be incorrect. In the letter above quoted dated l^fh
Nov 841, we state, that the coal met with at Kalabagh occurs in thin sea^s in a white slnd
stone that alternates with the red marls, m which the rock salt and gypsum are imbedded The
largest seam is in breadth about seventeen inches, consisting partly of coal, sandstone and 'mine,
ral sulphur The coal met with is partly brown coal and lignite, and partly jet, and not true bi
tuminous coal; but well adapted, from the experiments which we made on a small soak for
steam purposes, burning with much flame, emitting much gas, and at the same time lea “ng bit
a small quantity of earthy matter or ashes.* Probably, however, they were led into error
which even in Britain sometimes happens, by confounding the alum shale, which fa of a grevish
black colour, and is associated with the white sandstone in which the seams of coal oer rir° Tin's
is not at all improbable, as the colour of the alum shale is so OnX i * CO fi oc 1 cur .
eye of the traveller ; the colour too" teowfng to Wmmfnous matter ’ vtZ'T d f eire ‘ h< j
is unknown to the natives, beinsr used bv thpm o ° matter The use of coal as a fuel
prized as to have led them to suppose that alaro-e sum w 101 ?? i in v ^ riou ® peases, and is so much
seams, about two thousand maunds had been enii f i ° U ? £ lven ^ or 1 ^- From the different
where it was stored up by r^mber indivi ^ br ^ h V? the town of Kalabagh,
for which they expected to get four rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per pucka malnd^eB “ 10 t0 100 maundS ’
which large quantities of alum^suVhate'of alumina^fa*™* 6 a J. Kalabagh is the alum shale, from
fourteen manufactories engaged, with from twelve m . ai ?: l J factured - In making it, there are
shale, which occurs in great beds, alternaW ^ti tnl ei f htee ? workmen in each. The alum
crystals of selenite, is brought to the manufactories and 4 . ^taming beautiful twin
pucka maund. manutactories on donkies, at the rate of an anna per
Manufacture of Mluvn, — To procure alum ■/•'Kq _ .
layer of wood of about two feet in thickness is nlmerl 18 P rocess adopted first a
shale of about the same thickness, which is SDrinldki wU-v, 1 + above it a layer of alum
cessively for six or seven times, till the^heap 8 Reaches 1 to^ 1 hid *’ tbe - la ^ ers are continued suc-
ieet; the wood is then lighted, and in the .space of from twel vpV ° f fr ° in twent J- fi ve to thirty
extinguished By this time the greyish black colour of thell? f° ‘ went y- fou ‘- hours the Are is
When cooled, a thousand maunds of it are thrown into a brhdft co, g ert . e,i mto blood red.
ito a Puck tank, and mixed with as much
* Journal of the Asiatic Society, 2nd Series, No, 37, p. 2 .