4i08 Drs. Noeffgerath and Biscliot" u)i iJie largest Mass 



"OO 



found in any of the Prussian and Belgic provinces on the left 

 bank of the Rhine. 



3. As no sulphur has yet been found in the solid meteoric 

 masses of iron in the analyses hitherto made, the proportion 

 of 3*04 per cent in a mass which had been smelted is the 

 more striking, as it must be supposed that during the latter 

 process some parts were volatilized and others transferred to 

 the scoria. We must leave it undecided, whether this pro- 

 portion of sulphur was combined equally with the whole mass 

 of metal, or appeared only as a constituent part of sulphuret 

 of iron, such as is found in meteoric stones, properly so called. 

 The latter supposition seems the most probable, and agrees 

 with Gibbs's account of the different degrees of hardness in 

 this mass, but not with M. Miiller's assertions with respect 

 to its homogeneity. 



It must however be observed, that sufficient attention was 

 not paid to individual sprinklings in the mass, which might 

 have been found in some parts when detached and not in 

 others. The native iron in the form of branches, the spaces 

 being filled with olivine, found by Pallas in Siberia, and which 

 forms in some degree the transition between real meteoric 

 stones and solid native iron, contains in some parts sul- 

 phuret of iron. Laugier, on analysing it, found 5*2 per cent 

 of sulphur ; and subsequently John has proved by an analysis, 

 in conjunction with Laugier, that the malleable part of this 

 mass was free from sulphur ; but that the brittle parts, partly 

 consisting of olivine, contained sulphur, probably in the form 

 of finely disseminated sulphuret of iron. Now as the appear- 

 ance of sulphuret of iron, such as is usual in meteoric stones, 

 is proved in that of Pallas, which is the medium between 

 them and solid native iron, it need not surprise us if it be 

 once found in the latter. 



In this supposition the iron mass in question, containing 

 S'Oi per cent of sulphur, would have afforded 8'16 per cent 

 of magnetic pyrites. 



4. The great brittleness of the smelted mass could only pro- 

 ceed from the sulphur ; since all natural as well as artificial 

 combinations of iron with nickel present a tough and ductile 

 alloy. This also agrees with the remark of Hassenfratz, — that 

 iron with copper-nickel is with difficulty smelted, and cannot 

 be soldered at all ; it is remarkably brittle at a red heat, and in 

 some degree so when cold. 



As copper-nickel contains mostly sulphur, independent of 

 arsenic, which does not render the iron brittle, the above is 

 easily accounted for. 



5. The absence of carbon in the mass of native iron disco- 



vered 



