Title: Monnig collection meteorites from Forestburg, Davy, Harrison Township and Gurram Kond Author: T. j. Mccoy, A. j. Ehlmann
The Monnig collection contains an unidentified 18.7 g stone purchased from mineral dealer John Albanese and bearing the label "Mangaratman, Madras, India." No meteorite is known by this name. An older handwritten note reads:
Meteorite var. Aerolite, found October 1814 by english Tax Collector, near Manga-patnan - Kadapa District Madras India, 257, Present from son of a chemist at London Mint. A note of about 3 ½ by 3 by the finder got lost through examination of my cases on arrival from Engl. by custom House Insp. The note said that on the day of find he and his Police Troup hear a Knattering noise and fearing attack by dacoite rushed out of his tent. No dacoits visible, but near the tent some small warm stones, which the Sentry has seen falling down. Not knowing what they consisted of, he send them to London
"Manga-patnan" could not be identified on either current or historical maps of India, although "-patnan" is Hindi for small village and, thus, this is not surprising. "Kadapa" undoubtedly refers to the Cuddapah District of the Andhra Pradesh region near Madras, India. Dacoits were robber bands prevalent in the area at that time. In 1984, Dr. A. L. Graham of the British Museum of Natural History (BMNH) suggested that this could be another fragment of the poorly known Gurram Konda fall of 1814.
