46 ()n the Iron Meteorite 



On the 27tri of August last, I received from my personal friend, 

 Prof. Bonilla, of Zacatecas, Mexico, the meteorite hereinafter 

 described. It came to me as a most generous gift, and with it 

 came the very surprising information, that it had 'been seen to fall, 

 at about nine P. M. of the twenty-seventh of November, 1885, 

 during the periodical star-shower of the '^Bielids.'' 



Such was the remarkable importance of this fall, as shown by 

 its history, and the possibility of its relation to Biela's comet, 

 that I hesitated to announce it publicly, preferring to delay, 

 until the full evidence could be substantiated in all its particu- 

 lars. This has now been accomjilished ; and I feel free to present 

 to science what seems to be. beyond doubt, a fragment of a 

 comet. 



The general appearance of this meteorite gives ready credence 

 to the account of its fall. Its fieshness of surface, which shows 

 in a beautiful manner the flow of the melted crust, ns the mass 

 rotated in its rapid flight tiirough the atmosphere ; the presence 

 of. unusually large nodules of an amorphous graj^hite ; the very 

 slight superficial oxidation, and the general dissimilarity to other 

 meteorites of the region ; — all point to a confirmation of the data 

 of its fall. 



AVhen received, it weighed about 3950 grammes. Its present 

 weight is 3864 grammes, or ten pounds, four and one quarter 

 ounces troy. 1'his discreparicy is included in the pieces detached 

 for the purposes of chemical analysis and in obtaining a large 

 surface for the development of the crystalline structure — the 

 so-called figures of \A'idmanstatten. 



Very naturally, the fall of this mass of iron might be viewed 

 as merely a co-incident phenomenon with the November ^^Bie- 

 lids" of 18b'5 ; but, to arrive at a thorough understanding of its 

 true relation, let us consider the evidence of its fall and the his- 

 tory of Biela's comet, as set forth in the communication of Prof. 

 Jose A. y Bonilla, who is Director of the Asti'onomical Observa- 

 tory at Zacatecas, Mexico. 



(Translation.) ''It is with great pleasure that I send to you 

 the Uranolite (skystone) which fell near Mazapil. during the 

 night of the 27th of November, 1885. That you may the better 

 appreciate the great scientific interest which this Uranolite pos- 



