390 J. L. Smith — Carbon Compounds in Meteorites. 



so, that we are disposed to take this body away from the rank 

 of a mere element, and call it a protean body that gives rise to 

 substances of endless form and variety by combining with a 

 very limited number of elements. 



Additional interest attaches to carbon from the fact of its 

 being regarded as belonging preeminently to the organic king- 

 dom. In fact, some of the best observers and investigators 

 assume that there is no such thing as mineral carbon among the 

 rocks of our globe, and that wherever found, whether as dia- 

 mond, graphite, or coal, it is a product derived from organic 

 matter, in which it had first performed its part in the economv 

 of nature. 



A still more exciting interest has been felt in carbon since 

 the new department of celestial chemistry has received the 

 attention of scientists. And here we are not left for our know- 

 ledge of celestial carbon to the attenuated form of it which can 

 be detected only by astronomical instruments ; for masses of 

 matter from other spheres reach our globe from time to time, 

 bringing with them specimens of solid carbon for our investi- 

 gation, and, at the same time, perplexing our minds with ques- 

 tions as to its mineral or organic origin, and as to the existence 

 or not of life on other planets, and in other systems of planets. 



Like the footprints of former life on therock strata of our 

 globe, these indications in what we call meteorites, however 

 slight they may be, are not to be disregarded. While I do not 

 wish to arrogate to myself any undue merit in the study of this 

 subject, I must say that I believe that my methods published 

 in 1855* set forth more prominently than it had been done be- 

 fore, the proper method of research for arriving at correct con- 

 clusions. It is clear that to attain positive results, the astrono- 

 mer, physicist, mineralogist, and chemist must not run counter 

 to one another in the use of the facts severally studied by them ; 

 and in all that I have done in this direction, it has been my 

 effort to keep this in view. 



In the present memoir, it is my object to develope new 

 facts, and consider some points in connection with the carbon 

 of meteorites, 



1. The Carbonaceous Meteorites. 



Certain well known meteorites, from among those whose fall 

 has been observed, have been called, from their aspect, and 

 from their containing a small amount of carbon, carbonaceous 

 meteorites, although the small amount of carbon contained in 

 them is not sufficient to account for their color. Perhaps the 

 term melanotic meteorite would be a more appropriate one, to 

 distinguish them from the stony and iron meteoritea There 

 ♦ This Journal, H, lix, 153, 322. 



