Dr. Walter Flight— On Meteorites. 65 



in tlie sand, which was fused and adhering to it. It weighed 

 originally about 71b. 6 oz., but had been reduced by eager curiosity- 

 hunters to 3 lb. 8 oz. ; the fractured surface of this meteorite had a 

 dark and less distinct coating than that belonging to the larger block 

 from whicli it had been detached by the explosion. 



The stones are covered with the usual black crust, and there is 

 evidence on some of the pieces of the meteorites of the fused material 

 of the outer portion having run partially over the freshly fractured 

 surfaces. Some fragments show distinct evidence of a sort of lami- 

 nation or imperfect stratification, the parts where the surfaces 

 cleaved being smoothed down as if b}' pressure or friction. About 

 100 were found, vai'ying in size from 9500 to 50 grammes, 25 kilogs. 

 having been sent to Paris. A preliminary chemical examination of 

 this meteorite has already been made by L. Smith, who finds the 

 specific gravity to be 3*57, and the composition : — 



Nickel-iron = 12-53 ; Troilite = 5-82 ; Silicates = 81-64 : total 100-00. 

 The nickel-iron consists of — 



Iron = 89-04, Nickel = 10-35, Cobalt = 0*54: total 99-93, 

 with traces of coppei', phosphorus, and sulphur. The silicate con- 

 tains iron protoxide, alumina, magnesia, soda, with traces of lithia 

 and potash, and has, according to L. Smith, veiy similar composi- 

 tions to the meteorite of New Concord, Guernsey Co., Ohio (1860, 

 1st May). Daubree remarks on its chondritic structure, and con- 

 siders it to belong to a large class of meteorites, notably represented 

 by the stones which fell at Vouille (1831, May 31st) and Aumale 

 Algeria (1865, August 25th). 



This meteorite being of the stony kind, and having so recently 

 fallen, it occurred to Wright (see also the examination of the Texas 

 Meteorite) ^ to examine the gases contained in the particles of 

 iron distributed throughout its mass, with a view to learning whether 

 they present the same characters as the gases occluded by the iron 

 forming large and independent masses. 



He extracted from this picked iron at a moderately elevated tempe- 

 rature several times its volume of gas, consisting of 35 per cent, of 

 carbonic acid, 14 per cent, of carbonic oxide, the remaining 51 per 

 cent, being chiefly hydrogen. These results were obtained from 

 metallic portions removed with the magnet : the pulverized rocky 

 residue, however, retained a considerable amount of iron in too finely 

 divided particles to enable them to lift the stony fragments adhering 

 to them ; accordingly a piece of the solid meteorite, about four cubic 

 centimetres in amount, was reduced to powder and placed in the tube 

 attached to the pump. The warmth of the hand sufficed to dis- 

 engage some little gas, which, when tested, was found to contain 

 carbonic acid and hydrogen. The pump was then set in action, and 

 heat applied to the tube in the following manner : — I. The tempera- 

 ture of boiling water continued for several hours. II. The moderate 

 heat (200°-250'') of a small Bunsen flame applied for a short time. 

 III. A stronger heat, kept below visible redness, applied for nearly 

 1 Geol. Mag. 1875, Decade II. Vol, II. p. 364. 



DECADE II. — VOL. IX. — NO. U. 5 



