Nickel. 



Cobalt. 



Total. 



17-10 



2-04 



19-14 per cent. 



14-62— 15-02 



0-43—0-50 



~~ >> 



15-09 



2-56 



17-65 „ 



28 Dr. Walter Flight — History of Meteorites. 



Another remarkable feature of this iron is the obscure characters 

 of its crystalline structure : when etched, the acid discloses a eonfused 

 granular surface, exhibiting under a lens a reticulated structure with 

 numerous brilliant points and V-shaped lines. The Eldorado iron 

 resembles that of the Cape of Good Hope, analyzed by Uricoechea, 

 in the absence of Widmannstattian figures and in the presence of a 

 large per-centage of nickel. 



The meteoric irons which contain most nickel (and cobalt) are : 



Grenville, Term. ... 

 Tazewell Co., Tenn. 

 Cape of Good Hope 



Few analyses have detected more than 10 per cent, of nickel in an 

 iron, and the average amount of this metal in eighty analyses com- 

 pared by Silliman is not above 7-25 per cent. 



This is not the earliest notice of the Eldorado iron. In June, 1872, 

 Shepard 1 published a short note on it in the same journal. He 

 determined the specific gravity to be 7-80, and found only 8 - 88 per 

 cent, of nickel, as well as 3*5 per cent, "insoluble, consisting of a 

 mixture of Fe 2 3 and FeO, with minute silvery particles of supposed 

 phosphor-metals." The examination was evidently an imperfect one. 



Meteoric Irons found in 1869. — Staunton, Augusta Co., Virginia. 2 



This is the fourth recorded instance of meteorites having been 

 found in the State of Virginia. Three masses of meteoric iron have 

 recently been met with : No. 1, weighing 56 lbs., was turned up by 

 a plough, five miles somewhat E. of N. from Staunton, in lat. 38° 14/ 

 N., and long. 79° V W. ; No. 2 weighs 36 lbs., and was met with 

 one mile S.E. of No. 1 ; and No. 3, which weighs 3^ lbs., was found 

 half a mile still further S.E. 



They were covered with a dark brown crust \ to \ in. thick ; on 

 exposure to moist air, a liquid, containing iron, nickel, and chlorine, 

 exuded from many parts of the surface. This iron, which exhibits 

 feeble magnetic polarity, and has a specific gravity of 7-83 to 7-85, 

 is compact and highly crystalline, and contains occasional grains of 

 troilite. Traces of Widmannstattian figures can be detected even 

 without acid ; but this reagent developes them in great beauty, and 

 with considerable resemblance to those of the Lenarto and certain 

 Mexican specimens. The irons were cut so as to give different 

 projections of the same crystalline structures; in No. 1 the bands of 

 iron and schreibersite intersect at 120° and 60°, in No. 2 they ap- 

 proach 90°, and in No. 3 are at about 60°. 



The author states that by prolonged action of acid, white, pliant, 

 and strongly magnetic lamina? of schreibersite are brought to view. 

 He does not appear to have analyzed them, and to judge from obser- 

 vations made on other irons, I consider it highly probable that the 



1 C. U. Shepard. Amer. Jour. Sc, [3] iii. 438. 



2 J. W. Mallet. Amer. Jour. Sc, [3] ii. 10 ; Brit. Assoc. Report (Brighton), 

 1872, 77; Froc. Royal. Soc. xx. 365; Rogg. Ann. cxlvii. 134. 



