2 T. IJ. Holland — /I nciv Indian Meteoric Iron. [Jan. 



Tlic Scrutineers reported as follows: — 

 69 For. 

 34 Against. 



The Cliairman read the following appeal from the Royal Asiatic 

 Society regarding the establishment of a gold medal for the encourage- 

 ment of Oriental learning. 



In 1897 tlie Council of the Eoj^al Asiatic Society established a 

 Jubilee Gold Medal to be awarded every third year as an encourage- 

 ment to Oriental learning amongst English-speaking people. 



To meet the expenses incurred in preparing a design, engraving 

 dies, and finding an amount to produce an income sufficient to defray 

 the requisite charges a sum of about £ 400 will be necessary. 



Subscriptions with interest of £ 300 have already been received 

 and a balance of about £ 100 is therefore still needed. 



Donations should be sent to the Chairman of the Medal Committee, 



Royal Asiatic Society, 



22, Albemarle Street, London^ W. 



The Chairman announced that in accordance with Rule 37 of the 

 Society's Rules, the names of seventeen members were to be suspended 

 in the Society's rooms as defaulters for non-payment of dues. 



The Chairmnn also announced that he had received two essays in 

 competition for the Elliott Prize for Scientific Research for the 

 year .1899. 



Mr. T. H. Holland exhibited and described a new Indian Meteoric 

 Iron. 



This meteorite was found by a villager near Kodaikanal in the 

 Palni Hills, Madras, and through the help of Mr. C. Michie Smitli, 

 Director of the Madras Observatories, it was secured in 1898 for the 

 Geological Museum, Calcutta. It weighed about 35 lbs. when found, 

 and was covered with a coat of rust due to its having, in all probability, 

 been exposed for some time to the weather. There is no record of its 

 fall, but a large meteor was seen eight j^ears before to burst over the 

 Pillar Rocks near Kodaikanal, and it is not unlikely that tiiis ''iron" 

 fell at that time. 



It is found CO be composed almost entirely of nickeliferous iron, 

 with included irregular mineral masses, measurir)g sometimes 10 m.m. 

 across. Crystal structures — imperfect Widmanstatten figures — are 

 developed by etching the polished surface of the iron with dilute acid ; 

 but beyond these tests, which satisfactorily establish the meteoric origin 



