Afi Account of a Meteor, 157 



about 15 per cent. If we may suppose these pyrites to 

 be of the same composition, (and their physical proper- 

 ties correspond with Count Bournon's description,) Vv'e 

 might deduce the proportion of sulphur from the pro- 

 portion of pyrites in the stone, for, there is every reason 

 to believe that the sulphur exists in no other part of the 

 stone, except the pyrites, and those masses which have 

 jjroceeded from their decomposition. It is impossible, 

 howe\Tr, to separate the pyrites from the other parts of 

 the stone, so as to estimate their proportion exactly; 

 imt, they evidently do not exceed one fifteenth of the 

 whole stone. If therefore the sulphur be estimated at 

 1, it is probable the estimate will not be very erroneous. 

 The muriatic solution of the pyrites had a greenish 

 colour ; ammonia threw down the iron in a black pre- 

 cipitate, becoming rapidly red, when exposed to the air. 

 The filtered fluid gave no traces of magnesia, when ex- 

 amined with caustic potash ; but, hidro sulphuret of 

 ammonia gave an abundant precipitate of nickel. Hence 

 these pyrites are composed of iron nickel and sulphur. 

 Having saved the precipitates, I still hope to obtain the 

 proportions of the two former. 



III. The malleable Iron. 



When the stone is pulverized, the magnet takes up, 

 usually, more than 40. I have taken up even 50, but 

 once only 23. This is, however, far from being all iron; 

 there is much adhering earthy matter — some adhering 

 pyrites, and, in short, all the principles of the stone ad- 

 here. A separate analysis of the attractable part, gives 

 us nothing different from the results already stated, ex- 

 cept an increase in the proportion of metallic matter, and 

 a diminution in that of the earthy principles. The mal- 

 leable iron contains nickel equally with that in the py- 

 rites. On the other hand, a separate analysis of the un- 

 attractable part, presents no other diversity than a dimi- 

 nution of the metallic, and an increase of the earthy prin- 

 ciples. I have separated a piece of malleable iron, so 

 large, that by alternately heating and hammering, it was 

 extended into a bar six tenths of an inch long, and one 

 tenth thick ; another mass was hammered into a j^late 

 more than half an inch in diameter. The attractable 



