28 



space, which occasionally happen to light upon the earth. 

 One thing is certain, they come from the space beyond 

 the earth. This we know, because they have been seen to 

 tall. Meteoric iron usually has a small per cent of nickel, 

 cobalt, manganese, copper and tin. It is malleable,.- 

 exceedingly tough, and may be used like manufactured 

 iron. Our meteorite has a strong resemblance to one m 

 Yale College cabinet, weighing 3635 pounds, which also 

 came from the Red River of Texas. 



MINING BIGHTS. 



. I have been asked what is the law in regard to mining 

 tunnels. 



The law confers a right to the owners of the tunnel to all 

 ores on the line of the tunnel and of the width of the tun- 

 nel within three hundred feet of its face; provided there 

 are no veins or indications of ore belonging to other 

 parties above the line of said tunnel, which did belong to 

 said parties before the commencement of the tunnel. 



Such seems to be the meaning of the "Tunnel Act" of 

 Congress, 1872. 



HOT SPRINGS. 



These are in Presidio county, about a quarter of a mile 

 from the Rio Grande, about thirty miles below Fort Quit- 

 man, amid rugged mountains. To get there, we went on 

 horseback by a dim path, up and dowji mountains, guided 

 by a Mexican. 



The springs seem to have originally been a pond or lake 

 of an area of about twelve acres, which has been gradually 

 filled up by depositions of siliceous matter, strongly 

 impregnated with soda, magnesia, etc. , of a granular 

 texture, so hard as to be broken with difficulty. It has a' 

 mottled color of dark gray and bluish black. The rocks 

 .of the outer rim of the area are similar to those now being 

 made by depositions from the springs. 



TTiere are two springs, about one hundred and thirty 

 feet apart, each about ten feet in diameter, inclosed in a 

 circular rim about three feet high; water clear and of an 

 unknown depth, attempts to sound them with a line 

 nearly one hundred feet long have failed. Gasses are 

 continually ascending to the surface, which keep the 

 water in continual' agitation; water strongly impregnated 



