S54 Chemical Analysis ofMeteon'ic Iron from Alabama. 



for there are very evidenl reasons for believing that our planet, 

 statedly in its course, passes amid numerous detached masses 

 of matter or asteroids, which regularly meet the earth in its 

 orbit on the 13th of November; at least such are the views 

 of Prof. Olmsted, of Arago and Gay-Lussac, whose opinions 

 appear to be supported by the facts which they have collected. 



Allowing that meteoric matters are projected from cometary 

 masses, which statedly cross the earth's orbit, coming within 

 the limits of its attraction, and are subjected to the oxidizing 

 influence of the atmosphere, so as to take fire and fall in 

 burning masses upon the surface of the earth, we can more 

 readily account for the phtenomena exhibited in their splendid 

 coruscations, when we know that the meteors contain ingre- 

 dients possessing remarkable decomposing powers, if brought 

 into contact with water or aqueous vapour, and such are the 

 effects of the chlorides of iron and nickel. 



In several instances on record, we find the meteor first 

 discovering itself, bursting into fire, from the midst of a dark 

 cloud, and throwing off brilliant coruscations of light, and 

 ejecting ignited masses which fall to the earth ; while the 

 globe of fire, from which they were thrown off, traverses the 

 heavens, and gradually becomes extinct. May not therefore 

 the moisture of the atmosphere have first kindled the 

 meteor in its passage through the humid clouds ? I do not 

 know whether they are generally too distant from the earth 

 to come in contact with clouds, but from the rapidity of these 

 apparent meteors they cannot be very distant, at the moment 

 of their conflagration. Should chloi'ine prove to be a com- 

 mon or constant ingredient, I suppose, that we should have 

 a ready solution of the phsenomena involved in the problem. 



With respect to the specimen, which forms the subject of 

 the present communication, if we consider its chemical com- 

 position, we are forced to regard it of celestial origin ; for we 

 have no similar natural alloy in this world, and it contains 

 elements, which are generally found in meteoric matters, be- 

 sides the new ingredient which I have discovered as one of 

 its components. It is clearly impossible that this mass should 

 have been factitious; for in all manufactured iron, we can 

 readily detect carbon, which does not exist in our specimen, 

 and the situation in which it was found is presumptive evi- 

 dence that it was not manufactured, and the rocks around, 

 not belonging to the class bearing metallic ores, it is impos- 

 sible for it to have been derived from them, and it could not 

 have been derived from the distant rocks by diluvial trans- 

 portation, for no such ores exist in any of our mines. 



