538 Description and Analysis of a large mass of [Nov. 



tend to any accuracy of execution, for which I had neither the requisite 

 mechanical appliances nor sufficient time, hut all the cis-Himalayan 

 part of it traced from the Indian Atlas is quite correct enough for prac- 

 tical purposes : the trans-Himalayan ground, nowhere fully explored 

 or accurately surveyed, is of course open to much correction. 



Description and Analysis of a large mass of Meteoric Iron, from the 

 Kurruckpore hills, near Monghyr. Presented to the Museum of the 

 Asiatic Society, by Captain W. S. Sherwill, B. N. I. By Henry 

 Piddington, Curator Museum Economical Geology. — With two 

 Plates. 



The Museum is indebted for this magnificent specimen to our valued 

 member and active contributor, Captain W. S. Sherwill, of the Revenue 

 Survey. 



Upon his first visit to the Museum some months ago I showed this 

 gentleman amongst our mineralogical treasures and curiosities, the Aero- 

 lites, and next to them our specimens of meteoric iron, upon which he 

 remarked that he had a large lump of iron "of some kind" which had 

 been found in the Rajmahal hills " a good deal like that." I begged 

 of him forthwith by all means to send me at least a specimen of it, 

 which he did, and my conjecture (from his account of its qualities, such 

 as toughness, &c.) that it might prove a mass of meteoric iron, were, 

 after some baffling in the research which mineralogical chemists will 

 understand from the chemical details which follow, was crowned by 

 indubitable proofs that it was so ! Captain Sherwill, when recently here, 

 at my request desired a friend to send the whole mass down, and the 

 Society now possesses this most valuable specimen, which I proceed first 

 to describe as to locality and physical properties, before detailing my 

 examination of it. 



Locality. 



Captain Sherwill' s note is as follows : 



"The accompanying mass of iron, supposed to be of meteoric origin, 

 was found imbedded in the soil on the top of the forest-clad Kurruck- 

 pore hills near Monghyr. It had been exhumed and worshipped for 

 many years by the hillmen" 



