[ 4.1 ] 



VIII. A further Account of the great Mass of Native Iron of 

 Bitburg. By Messrs. Steininger and Nceggerath : 'with 

 Observations, by Dr. C. F. F. Chladni *. 



'X'HERE is no doubt that the mass of native iron found in 

 -*■ the vicinity of Bitburg, near Treves, weighing from 3300 

 to 3400 pounds (mentioned in this Journal for 1825)f, which 

 was afterwards through ignorance melted down, was of the 

 meteoric kind; since Colonel Gibbs, of New York, has found 

 it to be similar to other meteoric iron, and to contain nickel. 

 For the first intelligence of the discovery of this iron I am 

 indebted to my very worthy friend Dr. Nceggerath, of Bonn, 

 who after my commtinication respecting the further investiga- 

 tions given on this subject in the American Mineralogical 

 Journal, examined it more closely on the spot, caused the 

 melted mass — which had been buried, on account of its unfit- 

 ness for being wrought, and from a fear of its giving the esta- 

 blishment a bad name — to be dug up again ; and he was kind 

 enough to distribute some fragments of it to myself and other 

 individuals. The original crystalline structure had been de- 

 stroyed by the process of melting the mass, so that by etching 

 a polished surface, no regular figures either did, or could ap- 

 pear ; nevertheless there appear to be traces of its former cry- 

 stalline structure on some of the projections and small imper- 

 fectly melted lumps. Professor Bischof and Counsellor Kar- 

 sten have alsp found nickel in it: Counsellor Stromeyer, 81*8 

 of iron, 11'9 of nickel, 1*0 of cobalt, 0*2 of manganese, 5"1 

 of sulphur; = 100*0: and Professor John, 78'82 of iron, 

 8-10 of nickel, 3*00 of cobalt, 4*50 of sulphur, 0*08 of silicium, 

 5'50 of silica, alumina, oxide of iron, as well as a trace of se- 

 lenium, — differences of analysis which may have been produced 

 in part by the agents used in the process. Counsellor Strome- 

 yer intends to examine this iron for chrome, which he has not 

 yet done. It was however regretted that with the exception 

 of some fragments that might perhaps be found in America, 

 none was left for investigation in its natural slate. Having 

 therefore learned that sonie of it was still extant in a collec- 

 tion at Treves, I wrote to M. Steininger, (teacher of natural 

 history and mathematics in the Gymnasium of that city,) a 

 gentleman distinguished by several works he has written on 

 the geology of the country along the Rhine, &c. and especially 

 by his knowledge concerning the former volcanos of the Eifel. 



• From Schweiggcr's Journal, N.R, Band xvi. p. .185. 

 t See Phil. Mag. vol. Ixv. p. 401. 



New Series. Vol. 2. No. 7. Jtdy 1827. G He 



