218 METEORIC STONES. 



by the Count de Bournon. The specific gravity of water 

 being 1000, 



That of the Ensisheim stone is 3233 



Gassendi's* 3456 



,, Bachelay'sf ,, 3535 



Yorkshire 3508 



Sienna 3418 



Benares 3352 



Bohemia 4281 



All the stones examined by Count de Bournon and Mr. 

 Howard were found to consist of four distinct substances: 

 small metallic particles ; a peculiar martial pyrites ; a number 

 of globular and elliptical bodies, also of a peculiar nature ; 

 and an earthy cement surrounding the other constituent parts. 

 It was only the stone from Benares that Mr. Howard could 

 separate into its constituent parts, with sufficient accuracy, 

 and in sufficient abundance, for a minute analysis of each. 

 He found, however, that the nature of the metallic particles 

 was the same in all ; they were in each case an alloy of iron 

 and nickel. In the pyrites of the Benares stone, nickel as 

 well as iron was detected ; and the easy decomposition of the 

 pyrites by muriatic acid, in all the specimens, afforded a dis- 

 tinguishing character of this substance. The globules in the 

 Benares stone contained silica, magnesia, and oxides of nickel 

 and iron ; the earthy cement consisted of the same substances, 

 very nearly in the same proportions. In the other stones, 

 these globules could not be easily separated from the cement 

 and pyrites. Mr. Howard, therefore, after freeing the aggre- 

 gate as well as possible from the metallic particles, and 

 several of the globules, was obliged to satisfy himself with 

 analyzing the heterogeneous mass. Still the composition 

 appeared wonderfully to agree with that of the basis and 

 globules of the Benares stone ; as the following Table, which 

 we have collected from Mr. Howard's experiments, and re- 

 duced to the parts of a hundred, will clearly evince. 



* Found in Provence. t Found in the Maine. 



