J. L. Smith on new Meteorite Iron. 77 
Art. XIV.—A new Meteoric Iron from Mexico ; by J. Law- 
RENCE SmiruH, Louisville, Ky. 
A FRAGMENT of this meteoric mass was placed in my hands 
by Dr. Joseph Leidy, of Philadelphia, with the following state- 
ment of its history :—‘‘ Sometime ago, the American Philosph- 
ical Society deposited its natural historical collection with the 
Academy of Natural Sciences. In the collection of minerals 
‘there was a special lot of Mexican minerals presented by Mr, 
Poinsett, who was at one time U. 8. Minister to Mexico. The 
minerals consisted of rich silver ores, &c., among them this 
specimen of meteoric iron, which was labelled ‘native silver, 
exico.’ It appeared to be an entire meteorite, exhibiting no 
where a cut or broken surface ; one end, however, was much 
crushed, as if the specimen had been used fora hammer. The 
middle, and slopes irregularly toward each end. The face 
from which the piece sent was cut is hexagonal, and exhibits 
a partial crystalline arrangement without development by an 
acid,” 
Its structure is highly crystalline, and on the cut face of the 
piece I have, the laminz of the crystals are over ;; of an inch 
thick and cross each other at the usual angle. The Widmann- 
Stittian figures are very strongly developed by acid. Its sp. 
grav. is 7°72, and its composition shows the usual constituents 
in the following proportions: 
s ‘ x 7 = - - - 91°103 
: f 7 
n 
Nickel, Ce eee 557 
Cobalt, - - : - ee ee 
Phosphoris, © = ee oe 020 
Sulphur, Ue SES ares 
Coppetj: os (hea ee ee ee trace 
