THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 155 



clia estate, some fifty or sixty miles from Santa Rosa, in the north of 

 Coahuila ; various accounts were given of the precise locality, hut none 

 seemed very satisfactory. When first seen hy Lieutenant Couch, it 

 was used as an anvil, and had been originally intended for the Society 

 of Geography and Statistics in the city of Mexico. It is said, that 

 where this mass was found there are many others of enormous size ; 

 but such stories, however, are to be received with many allowances. 

 Mr. Weidner, of the mines of Freiberg, states, that near the south- 

 western edge of the Balson de Mapimi, on the route to the mines of 

 Parral, there is a meteorite near the road of not less than a ton weight. 

 Lieutenant Couch also states, that the intelligent, but almost unknown, 

 Dr. Berlandier writes, in his journal of the Commission of Limits, that 

 at the Hacienda of Venagas, there was (1827) a piece of iron that 

 would make a cylinder one yard in length, with a diameter of ten 

 inches. It was said to have been brought from the mountains near 

 the Hacienda. It presented no crystalline structure, and was quite 

 ductile. 



The meteorite now before you (see Fig. 2) weighs 252 pounds, and 

 from several flattened places I am led to suppose that pieces have 

 been detached. The surface, although irregular in some places, is 

 rather smooth, with only here and there thin coatings of rust, and, as 

 might be expected, but very feeble evidence of chlorine, and that only 

 on one or two spots. The specific gravity is 7.81. It is highly crys- 

 talline, quite malleable, and not difficult to cut with the saw. Its 

 surface etched with nitric acid, presents the Widmannstiittian figures, 

 finely specked between the lines, resembling the representation we 

 have of the etched surface of Hauptmannsdorf iron. Schreibersite is 

 visible, but so inserted in the mass, that it cannot be readily detected 

 by mechanical means. Hydrochloric acid leaves a residue of beauti- 

 fully brilliant patches of this mineral. 



Subjected to analysis, it was found to contain 



Iron 95.82 



Cobalt 0.35 



Nickel 3.18 



Copper, minute quantity, not estimated. 



Phosphorus 0-24 



99.59 



Which corresponds to 



Nickeliferous iron ' 98.45 



Schreibersite 1-55 



100.00 



The iron is remarkably free from other constituents. 



The specimen is especially interesting as the largest mass of mete- 

 oric iron in this country next to the Texas meteorite at Yale College. 



The three meteorites just described form an interesting addition to 

 those already known, a very complete list of which has been lately 



