J. W. Mallet on Meteorite Iron from Virginia. 11 
others—No. 2 most flattened—the latter had some rude resem- 
blance in shape to a shoulder of mutton. The dimensions of 
the masses before cutting were as follows: 
No. 2. No. 3. 
meme tenets os oo cos ow or. 28 centimeters 27 ¢.m. 11 ¢. m. 
“ width, at large end,___21 es 5S alte 5 * 
= “at small end, -.17 a i. Be 
. thickness, at large end, _13 He 13 °° 3.3 
= 2: at small end, 11 5 as SE 
No. 1. 
Sheet 
A pretty good idea of the shape and size 
may.be obtained from the accompanying fig- 
ures, from photographs of the original speci- 
mens with attached scale. The exact weights 
before cutting were, 
No. 1. No. 2- No. 3. 
25,429 grams. 16,441 grams. 1,644 grams. 
the masses being entire, nothing having been previously de- 
tached from any one of 
The surface of each of the masses is rough and irregular. 
At some points, which have been rubbed, the iron exhibits its 
metallic luster, and traces of its crystalline character may be 
observed, but nearly the whole surface is covered with a dark 
rown crust, consisting essentially of hydrated ferric oxide, 
w 
which varies from about an eighth toa third of an inch in thick- 
he union of hardness and toughness in the iron makes it 
quite difficult to cut, and in attempting to obtain with the plan- 
ing machine a slice of considerable size the ordinary cutting 
tools were blunted and broken ; it was found necessary to drill 
a row of holes and connect these by a cut made with the planer. 
