200 Native Iron found hi Straivherries . 



yet worthy of attention. In the neighbourhood of the towr> 

 of Baturin in the Ukraine, there are a number of pleafant 

 little hills interfered by various ravines formed by the wa- 

 ters. In thefe ravines there are found in different places 

 white globular maffes of calcareous ftone, which on tiic out- 

 fide bear marks as if they had been rubbed againft black 

 Hones ; thefe marks do not go deeper than the furface, and 

 appear to be the work of fome mineral pigment. The fize 

 of thefe mafles approaches near to that of a walnut : it is 

 however difficult to break them ; and the nearer you get to 

 the nucleus, which is diftinguiilicd from the external cover- 

 ing by a green ycllowifh colour, the finer and harder the 

 grain is found. The middle of this ftone confifts of feveral 

 cells feparated from each other by partitions, fome of which 

 are exceedingly thin. Thefe ftone maffes may be confidered 

 either as excrefcences or petrefaiStions, and may be clafled 

 among the carpolites or alcyonites j but this is of little con-i 

 fcqucnce. 



What, however, defcrvcs attention is, that, in one fpecl- 

 nien which was broken, there were found in two of the cell* 

 two fmall grains which were immediately known to be iron 

 by their being attraiSted by a magnet. The fmaller fell from 

 the hands of the obferver, and was loft almoft as foon as it 

 had been difcovered ; but the other, which is ftill in his pof- 

 feflion, has the exaft fliape of the cavity in which it lay, 

 and is not much bigger than the head of a large pin. Thefe 

 difcoveries afford a new proof that the exiftence of native iror^ 

 is neither fo uncommon nor fo problematical as mankind ij^ 

 eeneral believe. 



XVI. Seventh 



