336 Chemical Analysis of Meteorie Iron. 
of November; at least such are the views of Prof. Olmsted, of 
Arago and Gay Lussac, whose opinions appear to be supported 
by the facts which they have collected. 
_ Allowing that meteoric matters are projected from cometary 
masses, which statedly cross the earth’s orbit, coming within the 
limits of its attraction, and are subjected to the oxidizing influ- 
ence of the atmosphere, so as to take fire and fall in burning mass- 
es upon the surface of the earth, we can more readily account for 
the phenomena exhibited in their splendid coruscations, when 
we know that the meteors contain ingredients possessing remark- 
able decomposing powers, if brought into contact with water or 
aqueous vapor, and such are the eflects of the chlorides of iron 
and nickel. 
In several instances on record, we find the meteor first discover- 
ing itself, bursting into fire, from the midst of a dark cloud, and 
throwing off brilliant coruscations of light, and ejecting ignited 
masses which fall to the earth; while the globe of fire, from 
which they were thrown off, traverses the heavens, and gradually 
becomes extinct. May not therefore the moisture of the atmos- 
phere have first kindled the meteor in its passage through the 
humid clouds? Ido not know whether they are generally too 
istant from the earth to come in contact with clouds, but from 
the rapidity of these apparent meteors they cannot be very dis- 
tant, at the moment of their conflagration. Should chlorine 
prove to be a common or constant ingredient, I suppose, that we 
should have a ready solution of the phenomena involved in the 
problem. 
With respect to the specimen, which forms the subject of the 
present communication, if we consider its chemical composition, 
we are forced to regard it of celestial origin ; for we have no sim- 
ilar natural alloy in this world, and it contains elements, which 
are generally found in meteoric matters, besides the new ingredi- 
ent which I have discovered as one of its components, _ It is cleat- 
ly impossible that this mass should have been factitious ; for in all 
manufactured iron, we can readily detect carbon, hick does not 
exist in our specimen, and the situation in which it was found, is 
oe evidence that it was not manufactured, and the rocks 
, not belonging to the class bearing metallic ores, it is im- 
e for it to have been derived from them, and it could not 
| derived from the distant rocks by diluvial transporta- 
tion, for no such ores exist in any of our mines. 
