1892.] WARD NEW METEORITE FROM JAPAN, 173 



part, which might give clue to the direction of flight of the mass. 

 The interior shows no signs of arrangement either in planes or concen- 

 tric. There are several short fine fissures or fractures from one and 

 a half to two inches in length, some of which reach to the lower side 

 of the surface. They are not parallel, and they were doubtless caused 

 by the shock of reaching the earth. One inner face however seems a 

 little smoothed, as if prior to the breaking off of the contiguous 

 piece there had been a sliding of surfaces. This stone is eminently 

 chondritic. There is a fine-grained paste, and through it are distrib- 

 uted little rounded grains. Both the matrix and the grains are of the 

 same material, — the minerals olivene and enstatite. This is all that is 

 visible to the naked eye. But an ordinary low power lens shows many 

 bright metallic points. Also glossy, waxy pimples of red color, per- 

 haps an effusion of chloride of iron. Some larger blotches of iron 

 rust occur here and there. In determining the metallic portion of the 

 meteorite (whith has been done by Mr. John M. Davison of the 

 Reynolds Laboratory of the University of Rochester), pieces of the 

 mass were finely crushed and the metal separated by the magnet, 

 washed in alcohol aud dried rapidly. Its weight having been taken, 

 it was dissolved in nitric acid, and a little insoluble stony matter was 

 separated, weighed and deducted from it. A mean of two determina- 

 tions made in this way gave the metallic proportion about i6 per cent, 

 of the whole mass. This is an unusual per cent, of metal, — much 

 more than in the Waconda, which stone resembles in some respects 

 the Kesen, — which we now name this new meteorite from Japan. 



We are expecting to soon receive some other pieces, which may 

 give new facts ; and also a fuller examination of the mineral consti- 

 tuents — metallic and non-metallic, — will be made ere long. 



Professor Ward formally christened the meteorite the " Kesen 

 Meteorite," and gave a short description of the peculiar features of 

 meteorites, particularly the plasmagraphs or mould marks, illustrated 

 by the specimen before the i\.cademy. 



A general discussion followed, which was participated in by many 

 of those present. 



