Desci'ipiion and Analysis of a Meteoric Mass. 253 



particles of the steel on the surface of the ore. Nevertheless, 

 the \vhole is not of uniform hardness ; a part, particularly the 

 liver brown, being scratched by the file. 



Some small cavities in it are lined with lamellar crystals, re- 

 sembling those of white pyrites. 



This hydroxide, which serves as a matrix of the metaUic iron, 

 is not, judging from my specimens, abundant in the interior of 

 the mass, but the exterior of the mass is entirely made up of it. 

 At some places it is about one inch thick, while at others it is no 

 more than one quarter of an inch, showing here and there small 

 points of the metallic iron piercing through it. 



Such are the characters and appearances of this mass, of the 

 date and circumstances of whose fall, nothing is known. It was 

 accidentally discovered near Cosby's creek, in the southwestern 

 part of Cocke County, East Tennessee, and as I mentioned above, 

 was considered as silver ore. Indeed, there is yet a fragment of 

 it in the hands of an inhabitant, who asks for it $1500 — a sum, 

 which would be some hundred dollars too much, if it were pure 

 silver. 



Chemical constituents of the diffo^ent parts. 



1. Metallic Iron. — 100 grains of the metallic iron were dis- 

 solved in diluted hydrochloric acid, leaving a residue of half a grain 

 of a black powder, similar to that obtained from the graphite. 

 This solution being treated with nitric acid, to convert the pro- 

 toxide into peroxide, was precipitated by pure ammonia. The 

 precipitate being washed and ignited, gave 124 grains of perox- 

 ide, = 87 grains of iron. The ammoniacal solution gave 16 

 grains of protoxide of nickel, = 12 grains of metallic nickel, 

 with a trace of cobalt ; loss, half a grain. 



Iron, - - - - - - - 87.0 



Nickel, 12.0 



Carbon, - - - - - - 0.5 



Loss, ..----. 0.5 



100.0 

 2. Graphite. — 50 grains of the graphite being pulverized and 

 freed by a magnet from intermixed iron, were acted upon with 

 diluted hydrochloric acid. An effervescence took place, with 

 expulsion of hydrogen gas, owing to metallic iron, which was so 

 intimately mixed with the graphite, that it was not attracted by 



