336 Chemical Analysis of Meteoric Iron, 



of November ; at least such are the views of Prof Ohnsted, of 

 Arago and Gay Liissac, whose opinions appear to be supported 

 by the facts which they have collected. 



Allowing that meteoric matters are projected from cometary 

 masses, which statedly cross the earth's orbit, coming within the 

 limits of its attraction, and are subjected to the oxidizing influ- 

 ence of the atmosphere, so as to take fire and fall in burning mass- 

 es upon the surface of the earth, we can more readily account for 

 the phenomena exhibited in their splendid coruscations, when 

 we know that the meteors contain ingredients possessing remark- 

 able decomposing powers, if brought into contact with water or 

 aqueous vapor, and such are the effects of the chlorides of iron 

 and nickel. 



In several instances on record, we find the meteor first discover- 

 ing itself, bursting into fire, from the midst of a dark cloud, and 

 throwing off brilliant coruscations of light, and ejecting ignited 

 masses which fall to the earth ; while the globe of fire, from 

 which they were thrown off, traverses the heavens, and gradually 

 becomes extinct. May not therefore the moisture of the atmos- 

 phere have first kindled the meteor in its passage through the 

 humid clouds? I do not know whether they are generally too 

 distant from the earth to come in contact with clouds, but from 

 the rapidity of these apparent meteors they cannot be very dis- 

 tant, at the moment of their conflagration. Should chlorine 

 prove to be a common or constant ingredient, I suppose, that we 

 should have a ready solution of the phenomena involved in the 

 problem. 



With respect to the specimen, which forms the subject of the 

 present communication, if we consider its chemical composition, 

 we are forced to regard it of celestial origin ; for we have no sim- 

 ilar natural alloy in this world, and it contains elements, which 

 are generally found in meteoric matters, besides the new ingredi- 

 ent which I have discovered as one of its components. It is clear- 

 ly impossible that this mass should have been factitious ; for in all 

 manufactured iron, we can readily detect carbon, which does not 

 exist in our specimen, and the situation in which it was found, is 

 presumptive evidence that it was not manufactured, and the rocks 

 around, not belonging to the class bearing metallic ores, it is im- 

 possible for it to have been derived from them, and it could not 

 have been derived from the distant rocks by diluvial transporta- 

 tion, for no such ores exist in any of our mines. 



