Dec. 15. 1887] 



NATURE 



161 



by Von Schreibers cculd be mistaken for the upper side of this, 

 were it not that this is larger. It measures lyj inches {44 cm.) 

 by 15^ inches (39 cin. ), while the Agram measures 15^ by 

 12 inches. A high ridge, 5 inches high at the highest point 

 (l2'5 cm.), runs through the centre. One half of the mass is 

 not over 3 inches (75 cm.) thick, part of it is only 2 inches 

 (5 cm.), and around the edge it is only i inch, or less. It is 

 only exceeded in size, among the irons seen to fall, by the Nejed, 

 Central Arabia, now in the British Museum, which fell in the 

 spring of 1865, and weighs 59*420 kgm. The weight is 107 J lbs. 

 (48750 kgm.), and it is intact with the exception of three small 

 points, weighing not more than 2 ounces in all, which were 

 broken off. One of these is seen in the etched figure, another 

 was sent to Prof. Clarke by Colonel Betten to be analyzed, and 

 the third piece was lost. 



The two sides are wholly dissimilar (see Figs. I and 2 ^). In 

 fact, one would scarcely suppose that they belonged to the same 

 mass. The upper side is ridged and deeply dented, while the 

 lower side is flat and covered with shallow but very large 

 pittings. On top the colour is in many places almost tin white 

 without any coating whatever, and the pittings are very deep, 

 and usually quite long, like finger depressions made in potters' 

 clay. These depressions measure from 2 cm. to 4 cm., and from 

 I cm. to 4 cm. This side is remarkable for striae showing the 

 flow and burning, and all running from the centre toward the 

 edge, identical with those in the Rowton, Nedagolla, and 

 Mazapil irons, but on a larger scale. Some of them are thinner 

 than a hair, and yet twice as high (like a high knife-edge), and they 

 are from i to 4 inches long. In one space of 5 cm. twenty are 

 arranged side by side, and on one small part which is black, 

 there are fifty lines in i inch of space (25 mm.), all running in 

 the same direction. Near all the pointed edges the fused metal 

 has flowed and cooled, so as to hang like falling water. The 

 strite and marks of flowing are arou id the edges of the upper 

 surface (Fig. i). On the under side pittings are very shallow, 



Fig. 3. 



but much broader, one depression, apparently made up of four 

 pittings, being 20 cm. long, and 9*5 cm. wide. The whole side 

 is coated with a black crust, i mm. thick, and having minute 

 round bead-like markings. On one of the indentations of the 

 lower edge the crust has a strikingly fused appearance, as if 

 a flame had been blown on it from the other side. In reality 

 this edge is undoubtedly the place where a greater amount of burn- 

 ing took place when the body was passing through the air. 

 Seven small, bead-like lumps, from 5 mm. to 10 mm. in size, 

 which are visible on this side, are drops of metal that were 

 entirely melted, and flowed and cooled so that they resemble 

 drops of a thick liquid. There are also to be seen what appear 

 to be cracks, fifteen in number, and nearly as thin as a hair. 

 One &f these is 10 cm. long, and extends from the highly-fused 

 edge above mentioned towards the centre. The others are 

 from 3 cm. to 5 cm. long. These are so evenly arranged that 

 they are without doubt Kcichenhach lamellen, in which the inner 

 troilite has been burnt out. If such is the case, they are as 

 abundant as in the Staunton (Va.) mete iric iron. 



On the upper side ten nodules of troilite are exposed, measur- 

 ing from 33 mm. in diameter, to 55 mm. long, and 25 mm. wide. 

 On the lower side there are twelve such nodules exposed, 13 mm. 

 in diameter, while the largest measures 19 mm. by 39 mm. On 

 the upper side these nodules are coated in spots with a black 

 crust, similar to that found on the mass, but on the lower side 

 the crust extends completely around the side of the nodules, 

 showing the fusion very plainly. The troilite is very bright and 

 fresh, like a newly broken mineral, and on the upper side one 

 of the nodules shows deep striation, suggesting that the entire 

 nodule is o .e crystal, and the exposed part is only one side of it. 

 In some cases where the nodules were broken, they were found 

 to be iridescent. This is one of the octahedral irons showing 

 the Widmanstiitten figures beautifully on etching (see Fig. 3), 

 and is one of the Caillite groups of Stanislas Meunier and of the 



' These figures were made by the Ives process, and are faithful reproduc- 

 tions d.rect from the photograph. 



mittlere lamellen of Brezina. The lamellae are i mm. wide, and 

 the markings more closely approach the Rowton * and Mazapil * 

 irons. Fig. 4 shows the etching on the surface of the unpolished 

 exterior, there being no crust. The lower end of the figure, 

 which is flat, was produced by the hammering off of the piece ; 

 but the etching was really finer where it was done on the natural 

 surface of the iron. The specific gravity of the small piece 

 figured is 7773. Troilite, as before stated, is very abundant in 

 the mass. Schreibersite and carbon have also been found 



Fig. 



between the laminre. Chlorine is present only in slight quantity, 

 as scarcely any deliquescence has been observed. 



The following is a comparative table of analyses of meteoric 

 irons most nearly approaching this in composition : — 



Cabin Creek 

 (Whitfield). 

 Iron ... gr'Sy 

 Nickel 6"6o 



Cobalt ... trace 

 Phosphorus 041 



C, S, &c. o 54. 



99-42 



Estherville Mazapil 



(Smith). (Mackintosh). 

 9200 ... 9126 

 7-10 ... 7845 ., 



0-69 ... 0653 .. 



0'II2 ... 0'30 



Rowton Charlotte 



(Flight). (Smith). 



9f25 ... 91-15 



8-582 ... 8-05 



0-371 ... 072 



— ... o-o6 



99902 



100-038 



100-203 



9998 



George F. Kunz. 



THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



'J"* HE Council of the Royal Horticultural Society request the 

 horticulturists of the United Kingdom to read and con- 

 sider the following statement and appeal : — 



1. The grounds at South Kensington, known as the Gardens 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society, having been devoted to the 

 Imperial Institute, the Council endeavoured, in obedience to the 

 wishes so graciously expressed by Her Majesty the Queen, the 

 Patron of the Society, to obtain from the Royal Commissioners 

 of the 185 1 Exhibition such a site as would justify them in 

 advising the Fellows to remain at South Kensington. 



2. The Royal Commissioners were, however, unable to offer 

 any adequate site, and gave the Council distinctly to understand 

 that the erection of offices, committee-rooms, &c., on their. land 

 would not be held to confer any claim whatever, either legal or 

 moral, to the use of the Conservatory and Gardens for the pur- 

 poses of the Society. The negotiations consequently came to 

 an end. An informal offer has since been made by the Royal 

 Commissioners to let a portion of the Gardens and the Conserva- 

 tory to the Society at aguaranteed rent of ;^iooo a year, which 

 with rates, taxes, and maintenance would involve an expenditure 

 of ;^2OO0 a year at least, a sum far beyond the resources of the 

 Society. 



3. The Society has been in existence for eighty-three years, 

 having been founded in 1804, and incorporated by Royal Charter 

 in 1809. It has done much to advance the interests of practical 

 and scientific horticulture, and it is the recognized authority on 

 all horticultural questions. In addition to the valuable work 

 of the Scientific Committee, presided over by Sir J. D. Hooker, 

 K.C. S.I., C.B., F. R. S., new and rare plants, fruits, and veget- 

 ables, collected abroad or raised at home, have been continually 

 submitted, in large and increasing numbers, to the judgment of 

 the Fruit and Floral Committees, whose verdicts are accepted 

 without question. The Society has also continuously carried on 

 valuable trials of plants, fruits, and vegetables, at Chiswick. It 

 has published during the last three years the following, viz. : — 

 "Report of the Nation il Apple Congress held at Chiswick, 

 October 1883," " Report of the Orchid Conference held at 

 South Kensington, May 1885," " Report of the National Pear 



' "Meteorlten .Sammluna; de> k.k. minsralogisches Hofcabinet in Wien." 

 Wien. 1885, 8vo, Plate 2, Fig. 2. 

 2 Aiiierka-n Journal of Science, III. vol. xxxiii. p. 235, Fig. 2. 



