ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 241 



It is remarkable that no meteoric stones have ever been discovered, either 

 near the Pacific coast or, indeed, so far as we know, anywhere on this side of 

 the Rocky Mountains. Masses of meteoric iron, on the other hand, are known 

 to exist in quite a number of localities, and many of these masses are of very 

 large size. 



On page eleven, of the third, volume of the Academy's Proceedings, I have 

 given a list of the localities of meteoric iron known in Arizona and Northern 

 Mexico. This was done in order to attract the attention of explorers and 

 prospectors to these remarkable masses, and in the hope of getting more defi- 

 nite information in regard to some of them. Indeed, some additional items have 

 already been obtained iu reference to the masses there noticed. 



It is stated by several persons who have visited Southern Arizona, among 

 whom Dr. Horn may especially be mentioned, that it is universally believed, 

 and vouched for by apparently trustworthy explorers, that there are many large 

 masses of iron near the summit of the range next east of Tucson. This is 

 called on the latest map of Arizona, (that published by Mr. Gird) the '■ Sierra 

 de la Santa Caterina." Whether this is the same as the " Sierra de la Madera," 

 mentioned by Yelasco, as the locality of " enormous masses of pure iron, between 

 Tucson and Tubac," I have been unable to ascertain. 



Dr. J. B. Trask saw, in August, 1849, a large mass of meteoric iron, at the 

 village of Rio Florida, partly buried in the ground at the corner of the plaza. 

 This may, perhaps, be the same mass mentioned by Mr. Bartlett. as existing 

 " at the Hacienda de Concepcion, on the road from Chihuahua to Rio Florida." 

 Dr. Trask. however, has a distinct recollection that the mass he saw was at the 

 village of Rio Florida, and not at the Hacienda. 



Dr. Veatch saw. in 1849, a large mass of iron at Santa Rosa, Coahuila, 

 which was then in use as an anvil, at a blacksmith's shop, and was informed 

 that many pieces of native iron had been used there for various purposes. The 

 mass which Dr. Veatch saw, was of about the size of an ordinary anvil. It 

 was said to have been brought from the mountains northwest of the towu. 

 This statement corroborates that of Schott, in the Mexican Boundary Report. 

 (Vol. I, Part 2. page 34.) 



It is a remarkable fact, considering the abundance of meteoric iron near our 

 borders, that no meteorite, either stony or metallic, has yet been found within 

 the limfts of California. The piece of iron from Honcut Creek, found by Dr. 

 Trask, and supposed to be of celestial origin, proved, on careful examination, to 

 be ordinary cast iron. A fragment of the mass was referred to Professor Brush, 

 and pronounced by him not to be meteoric. The existence of a piece of cast 

 iron, in the locality where this was discovered, is not easily explained. In con- 

 nection with what has just been said of the existence of meteoric iron in Cali- 

 fornia, it should be added, that Dr. J. G. Cooper thinks that he observed some 

 small pieces of native iron on the Mohave River, a little above its sink. By 

 accident no specimen of this supposed meteorite were saved, so that it is not 

 possible to say that Dr. Cooper may not have been mistaken. The attention 

 of explorers in that region is invited to this supposed locality. 



16 



Peoc. Cal. Acad. vol. hi. may , 1866. 



