48 PROCEEDINGS OP THE CALIFORNIA 



Prof. Whitney read the following notice of the large mass of 

 meteoric iron now in this city, on its way to the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution : 



By a singular coincidence, we have now the pleasure of seeing in this city the 

 two great masses of meteoric iron which have been so often spoken of as being 

 at Tucson, in Arizona, one of which was brought here and presented to the 

 city by General Carleton. in November last, a notice of which, with an analysis, 

 has already appeared in our proceedings. This mass may properly be desig- 

 nated as the " Carleton (Tucson) Meteoric Iron," while the one which is des- 

 tined for the Smithsonian Institution may be called the "Ainsa (Tucson) 

 Meteoric Iron," as it has been rendered accessible for scientific investigation by 

 Mr. Jesus M. Ainsa, as will be seen by the following memorandum of the cir- 

 cumstance kindly furnished by his brother, Mr. James M. Ainsa: 



" This aerolite was first discovered by the early Jesuit Missionaries in the 

 mountains called the ' Sierra de la Madera,' near Tucson. 



" In 1735, El Capitan de las Provincias del Occidente, Don Juan Bautista 

 Anza, induced by the accounts of the science-loving Jesuits, ordered the aerolite 

 to be removed from the mountains, with the intention of sending it to Spain. 

 However, through the want of wagon roads and the proper means of convey- 

 ance at that time, to take it to San Bias, then the nearest port of entry, the 

 attempt was entirely abandoned. 



" The aerolite was left at Tucson, where it continued to attract the attention of 

 the scientific men who visited that country for more than a hundred years. 

 Since the acquisition of Arizona by the United States, greater notice has been 

 taken of this aerolite, it having been mentioned several times in the official 

 reports of the Government agents. 



" By a singular coincidence, Augustin Ainsa, the great-grandson of Don Juan 

 Bautista Anza, undertook, in 1860, to transport the aerolite and present it to 

 the Smithsonian Institution. With great difficulty it was brought as far as 

 the Yiiigo hacienda, where it remained until May, 18G3, when Jesus M. Ainsa, 

 in his late visit to Sonora, brought it to this city, with the intention of for- 

 warding it to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, where it will soon be 

 sent." 



At present the mass in question lies upon the steps of the Custom House, 

 where it has been most admirably photographed by Mr. Watkins.* 



It was said by Mr. Ainsa to weigh 1,600 pounds. 



The shape of this meteoric mass is very peculiar ; and, at first, it would 

 hardly be recognized as the identical specimen figured by Mr. Bartlett at 

 Tucson, especially as this gentleman estimated its weight at 600 pounds only. 

 Instead of being, as Mr. Bartlett supposed, a mass supported on two legs, it is, 

 in reality, a ring of metal, of very irregular dimensions, of which about one- 

 quarter was buried in the ground, in order to support it in a convenient position 

 for use as an anvil, when it was seen by him at Tucson. 



*The mass was shipped on the Panama steamer, which sailed from San Francisco on the 

 3d of August. 



