1 90 Miscellanies. 



might permit. The PeacocTc, commanded by Lieut. Hudson, attended 

 by the schooner Flying Fish, departed at the same time, on a similar voy- 

 age, but by a different route. No tidings concerning their success have yet 

 reached us. The Vincennes, under command of Lieut. Craven, is to be 

 employed during their absence, in surveying in the vicinity of Orange 

 Harbor. The Relief, having on board several members of the scientific 

 corps, was dispatched for a like period, on a cruise through the straits of 

 Magellan, but in making the attempt to enter by the Cockburn Channel, 

 she encountered a succession of violent winds, and about the last of 

 March, narrowly escaped shipwreck in a storm near Noir Island. On 



this occasion the Relief lost four anchors. For this reason she did not 

 contmue the cr^uise, but sailed for Valparaiso, where she arrived on the * 

 15th Aprd, 1839. Throughout the squadron, health and harmony have 

 prevailed, among both officers and men. 



8. Cold Bohlceveld Meteor ites.~Onr last number contained a brief ac- 

 count of the fall of a large meteorite at Cold Bokkeveld, near the Cape of 

 Good Hope, October 13, 1838. By notices in the Land, and Ed. Fhil 

 Mag May, 1839, it appears that instead of a single meteoric mass, great 

 numbers of stones were thrown down, and according to one statement 

 they were scattered in one line of direction throughout the space of 150 

 miles. The explosion was " louder and more appalling (ban the strongest 

 artillery, causmg the air to vibrate for upwards of 80 miles in every direc- 

 tion. The following analysis by Sir M. Faraday, of a piece of one of 

 these meteorites forwarded to Sir J. F. W. Herschel, was communicated 

 by ^the latter to the Royal Society, at its session of March 21, 1839. 



Ihe stone is stated as being soft, porous and hygrometric ; having, 

 when dry, the specific gravity of 2.94 ; and possessing a very small degree 

 of magnetic power irregularly dispersed through it. One hundred parts 



L^T7 '" '"'i"''""'^ ''''''' ''''' ''^""d ^° <^onsist of the following 

 constituents, namely : 



Water, 6.50 ^^ _ _ _ ^^^ 



Sulphur, - - . 4.24 Lime, ^ - . . 1.G4 



Sihca, .28.90 Oxide of Nickel, .82 



Protox. of Iron, 33.22 Oxide of Chromium, .70 



Magnesia, ..19.20 Cobalt and Soda, a trace. 



FrLf Navv ^'^ -^"Z ^otosi.-n. M. Juben, a lieutenant in the 

 brou2 fro Jp '"'''"^ '''^"' ""'""'"'^ ^^"^h had been presented to him, 

 wast teto hi"'; 'f ''""''''"' ^^^" ^^"-1 -- P«*osi in Bolivia ; it 

 fined u-M^ 11^ V '""''''''"' ^'"" ^f ^''^' P""'^ ' " i^ cavernous, being 



o a rholirrr\T ''"'"'^ "^ '^^^S"!^^' ^"t some have the form 



leotrit ' 'r '■ ''^"^ ^'^'^^^ ^'- -^ fi»-d with a greenish 



substance ..m.lar to the Olivine of Pallas. No traces whatever 



