Dr. Walter Flight — History of Meteorites. 217 



was found to be made up of transparent, much-broken grains, which 

 are, throughout, crystalline. 



The stone was examined in Java by Dr. Vlaanderen, who found 

 it to have the specific gravity 3*519, and the following composition : 



Si0 2 A1 3 3 FeO MnO MgO CaO K 2 Ha 2 Fe Hi 



A. Soluble. 28-669 2-377 28-036 0-199 21-290 0-498 1-479 1-164 8-227 1*712 



B. Insoluble. 51-218 6-352 10-796 trace 13-633 1-908 0-452 3-741 



Co S Chromite. 

 0-233 3-540 ... = 97-424 



11-074 = 99-174 



The analyst's method of grouping these constituents shows the 

 meteorite to have the following mineralogical composition : 



Olivine 47'26 



Augite 20-98 



Felspar 1700 



Nickel-iron 2-81 



Troilite 544 



Chromite 4-41 



97*90 

 If we assume that the iron oxide in the insoluble portion of this 

 meteorite, which is stated in Ylaanderen's analytical results to be in 

 the state of peroxide, to be, as is more probable, in the form of 

 protoxide, this portion of the stone appears to consist of a bronzite, 

 in which Fe : Mg is as 1 : 1, and a felspar with the oxygen ratios of 

 EO : B 2 O s : Si0 2 as 1-04 : 2-96 : 11-6 or those of an albite or ortho- 

 clase. About 60 per cent, of the minerals in this meteorite are 

 broken up by acid, the remaining 40 per cent, withstanding its action. 



Meteoric Irons found 1870 or 1871. San Gregorio, etc., Bolson de 

 Mapimi, Mexico. 1 



With the object of fixing with greater precision the geographical 

 position of the meteoric masses that have from time to time been 

 met with on the Mexican Desert, Dr. Lawrence Smith communicated 

 this paper to the Amer. Jour. Science. There were already known 

 the Cohahuila meteorite of 1854 (No. 1) ; the Cohahuila meteorite 

 of 1868 (No. 2) ; the Chihuahua iron of 1854 (No. 3), still at the 

 Hacienda de Conception, weighing about 40001bs. ; and the Tucson 

 iron (No. 4), found in 1854 on the north side of the Bio Grande ; it 

 is in the form of a ring, and weighs from two to three thousand 

 pounds. Another mass (No. 5) has since been heard of on the 

 western border of the Mexican Desert, which from its locality has 

 been named the San Gregorio Meteoric Iron.' 1 It measures 6 feet 

 6 inches in length, is 5 feet 6 inches high, and 4 feet thick at the 

 base ; and is in the form of a sofa. On one part of its surface the 

 date " 1821 " 3 has been cut with a chisel, and above it stands 

 the inscription : "Solo dios con su poder este fierro destruird, porque 



1 J. L. Smith. Amer. Jour. So., 1871, 335. See also H. J. Burkart. News 

 Jahr. Min., 1871, 853. J. Urgindi. Amer. Jour. Se., 1872, iii. 209. 



2 This is probably the meteoric iron of which earlier mention is made by "W. H. 

 Hardy in his Travels in the Interior of Mexico in 1825-1828, London, 1829, 481. 



3 Burkart gives the date 1828. 



