A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 35 



No. 5. The meteoric iron from Tula, Russia. — In the year 1846, a mass of 

 iron of over 15 puds (542 lbs.) was found 4^ miles from Marunskoje. Dr. 

 Auerbach has given us the first notice of it. The princi)3al mass consists of iron 

 with pieces of meteoric stones imbedded. They are real fragments separated 

 from larger masses by mechanical force. The metallic nickeliferous iron 

 formed veins in the granular rock, the latter consisting of a mixture of me- 

 tallic iron and a silicate of iron and magnesia. The VVidmanstaiten's figures 

 in this iron show a striking resemblance to those of Burlington, Ovvego 

 County, New York. 



Judging from analogies observed upon our earth, Haidinger has come to 

 the conclusion that before the stones were imbedded in iron they were united 

 as portions of real rocks in one and the same celestial body, from which they 

 came to our earth. 



The forms of the larger and smaller lumps show, however, many peculia- 

 rities which require a more thorough investigation. 



The meteoric iron from Nebraska was obtained from N. Holmes, Esq., 

 of St. Louis. The original mass weighed 35 lbs., and was found 25 miles 

 west of Fort Pierre. A segment of the Vienna specimen cut parallel with a 

 octahedral plane showed stride of half a line in width, intersecting at angles 

 of 60° and 120°, with the triangular and rhombic intervals between the en- 

 closing ledges of schreibersite covering the whole etched surface. The 

 Widmanstatten's figures show a close resemblance to those of the Red River 

 iron preserved in the Yale College cabinet. 



Fall of the Meteor of Parnallee, near Madura, in Hindostan. By 

 W. Haidinger, Ordinary Member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. 

 (Presented at the sitting of February 7th, 1861.) — 



A communication from Professor Silliman causes me to report on the fall 

 of a meteor which occurred on February 28th, 1857, about noon, near the 

 village of Parnallee, south of Madura, at the northern extremity of Hindostan. 

 Mr. Silliman wrote to me that the meteorite (which is deposited at Western 

 Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio) had, according to the chemical analysis 

 made by Dr. Cassels, of Choktaws, Ohio, been found to contain only 3 per 

 cent, of metallic iron, and amongst it 17 per cent, of nickel. He expects to 

 receive a fragment of it, and they also intend to send us a portion of the lat- 

 ter- Now I was enabled, in answer to the above, to communicate several 

 statements which had not been known to Mr. Silliman. 



Already in the summer of 1858, 1 read the excellent account drawn up by 

 the head of the American Mission at Madura, Mr. H. S. Taylor, respecting 

 the fall of the meteor itself, — two stones of immense size having fallen, one 

 weighing 37 lbs. and the other weighing four times as much, or 148 lbs. 

 This account is given in the ' Transactions of the Geographical Society of 

 Bombay ' for 1857; also the 'Athenaeum ' [probably the Madras 'Athenaeum'] 

 contained a notice of it. Only in 1859, when our operations commenced 

 for the increase of the collection of the meteorites of the Imperial Mineral 

 Cabinet, I wrote to Dr. G. Buist, secretary of the Society and editor of the 

 Bombay Times. But Buist was just in the act of removing to Allahabad, 

 and could not intercede in the matter; so then I applied to Mr. Taylor 

 himself, and I also wrote to Madras. It now became evident that the larger 

 stone was being sent to the Museum of Madras, but that the one weighing 

 37 lbs. which he received back again, had been sent to Hudson in America. 

 Mr.Taylorwas kind enough to give me the address of ProfessorCh. A. Young, 

 to whom I then wrote directly, and who already a fortnight ago had the 

 kindness to promise us a beautiful specimen of this meteorite of Parnallee, 



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