428 Dr. Walter Flight— On Meteorites. 



Brezina traces the closest resemblance between tliem and the 

 numerous meteorites which fell 30th November, 1822, at Futtehpur (at 

 Eouspur, Bithoor, and Shahpur), they are white friable chondrites. 

 Like them they are traversed by a whole system of black veins, 

 consisting for the most part of nickel-iron and troilite. 



Later on Koch concluded that about 2000 stones had fallen, the 

 total weight being 245 kilogrammes. A great number were sent 

 to the National Museum at Klausenburg. The density of the stone 

 appears to be 3-67. 



The meteor was seen as far as Verespatak, and traces of the cloud 

 were visible for 15 to 18 minutes. The sun was shining brightly at 

 the time, and the light was strengthened by the reflection of the 

 snow ; still the light of the meteor was dazzling. One stone was 

 picked up quite warm. As is usual, the smaller masses reached the 

 earth first, the heavier being carried further to the south-east. A 

 map accompanying Koch's paper shows the way in which the stones 

 were distributed over the area. 



Those meteorites which fell on the snow, and were quite uninjured, 

 have a perfect crust which has the lustre of varnish, the average 

 thickness of this crust is -J to f mm. The lai'ge stone has the 

 depressions and hollows usually found on their surfaces. The fresh 

 surface is ashy-grey, in places traversed by brown or black cracks 

 and veins, and sparsely scattered small metallic granules. In con- 

 clusion Koch makes a few tentative remarks on his examination of 

 a microscopic section. 



Tschermak found on inspecting a great number of the stones that 

 they exhibited a tendency to split up into prisms. The crust is 

 more lustrous than in most meteorites ; and long fused threads are 

 occasionally met with. In addition to black veins, there are rarely 

 to be seen bi'oader areas filled with a black magma, as in the stone 

 of Orvinio. Of the definite mineral species white chondra of olivine 

 and enstatite, and brown chondra of enstatite are seen, as well as 

 diopside, a felspar of the plagioclase series, and a black as yet 

 undetermined mineral. Fragments of iron showing very distinct 

 cleavage are also of frequent occurrence. 



Brezina still more recently examined the crust and the black 

 veins, and finds that the broad black areas are only met with where 

 the surface exhibits an unusually porous and shrivelled character, 

 properties which fully accord with that of the black chondrites, with 

 the exception of the meteorite of Tadjera, which has no crust what- 

 ever, which appears to support the view that they are in each case 

 due to the same cause. 



This remarkably abundant fall took place over an area extending 

 from 46° 48' to 46" 53' N. and 24° 2' to 23° 54' E. of Greenwich. 



1882, March 9tli, 11 p.m. — Between Webster and Oswego, Warsaw 

 Co., Indiana, U.S.A.^ 



Some men who were riding home through a very heavy snow- 



'■ Warsaiv Republican, March 25th, 1882, Eeprinted iu the Evening Times, of 

 Glasgow, April 15th, 1882. 



