Analysis of the Meteorites of Mezo-madaras in Transylvania. 141 

 fact or two more. The peculiar matter contained in the juice 

 of the Agaricus sanguineus, he, and charged with 0, gives 

 up that oxygen to guaiacum, and the latter transfers it to the 

 resinous matter of the Boletus luridus; thus the different organic 

 matters capable of uniting with O as such^ exhibit different affini- 

 ties for that oxygen, a fact not without physiological importance. 

 Another fact worthy of remark, is the facility with which the 

 nature of our agaricus matter may be changed. On heating 

 the aqueous solution which has the power of deeply bluing the 

 guaiacum solution to the boiling-point, it not only loses the 

 property, but also the capacity of again becoming an oxidizing 

 agent, i. e. carrier of oxygen, however long it may be kept in 

 contact with atmospheric air. I am very sorry to be prevented 

 from entering more fully into the details of the subject, but from 

 the little I have said about it you may easily understand why this 



mushroom affaii- has of late so much engaged my attention 



Yours most faithfully. 

 Bale, Nov. 30, 1855. C. F. ScHoNBElN. 



XVII. Analysis of the Meteorites of Mezo-madaras in Transyl- 

 vania. By Professor Wohler and Dr. Atkinson*. 



WE have analysed the meteorites which fell at Mezo-madaras 

 in Transylvania on the 24th of September, 1853. Their 

 external appearance afforded sufficient presumption that they 

 were a mixture of several minerals, and this has been confirmed 

 by analysis. 



Metallic iron, containing 7*4 per cent, of nickel and 0'25 per 

 cent, of cobalt, forms a chief constituent. The quantity of iron 

 varies in different parts of the specimen, but averages 19"60 per 

 cent, of the entire weight. It was not possible to extract it 

 completely from the powdered meteorite by means of the magnet. 

 We calculated its quantity from the volume of hydrogen evolved 

 when a weighed portion of the meteorite was treated with dilute 

 sulphuric acid. Like all meteoric iron, this also contains phos- 

 phorus, the amount of which could not, however, be determined 

 without employing much larger quantities of material. It is not 

 passive, but precipitates copper. 



Iron ])yrites is a second constituent. It is here and there 

 perceptible to the naked eye ; its presence was also shown by 

 the sulphuretted hydrogen, on treating the meteorite with hy- 

 drochloric acid. We did not consider it essential to determine 

 its quantity, since it evidently occurs very unequally mixed. 



Graphite, to the amount of 0"25 per cent., is a third constituent. 

 * Communicated by Dr. Atkinson. 



