OF A METEORIC STONE. 333 



two inches, which are almost white, resembling in many in- 

 stances the crystals of felspar, in some varieties of granite. The 

 texture of the stone is granular and coarse, resembling some 

 pieces of grit-stone. It cannot be broken by the fingers; but 

 gives a rough and irregular fracture with the hammer, to which 

 it readily yields. On inspecting the mass, five distinct kind- 

 of matter may be perceived by the eye. 



1. The stone is thickly interspersed with black or grey glo- 

 bular masses, most of them spherical, but some are oblong. 

 Some of them are of the size of a pigeon-shot, and even of a 

 pea, but generally they are much smaller. They can be de- 

 tached by any pointed iron instrument, and leave a concavity 

 in the stone. They are not attractable by the magnet, and can 

 be broken by the hammer. If any of them appear to be 

 affected by the magnet, it will be found to be owing to the ad- 

 herence of a portion of metallic iron. 



2. Masses of pyrites may be observed. Some of them are 

 of a brilliant golden colour, and are readily distinguished by tbc 

 eye. Some are reddish, and others whitish. The pyrites ap- 

 pear most abundant in the light-coloured spots, where they ex- 

 hibit very numerous and brilliant points, which are very con- 

 spicuous through a lens. 



3. The whole stone is interspersed with malleable iron, alloy- 

 ed with nickel. These masses of malleable iron are very va- 

 rious in size, from mere points to the diameter of an inch. They 

 may be made very visible by drawing a file across the stone, 

 when they become brilliant. 



4. The lead-coloured mass, which cements these things toge- 

 ther, has been described already, and constitutes by far the 

 greater part of the stone. After being wet and exposed to the 

 air, the stone becomes covered with numerous reddish spots, 

 which do not appear in a fresh fracture, and arise manifestly 

 from the rusting ol the iron. 



5. There are a few instances of matter dispersed irregularly 

 through the stone, which for reasons that will appear in the 

 analysis, are considered as intermediate between pyrites and 

 malleable iron. They are sometimes in masses apparently 

 crystalline, but usually irregular. They are black, commonly 



