VICTORIA METEORIC IRON. 375 



of different observers. Its discovery is beyond doubt due to 

 Prof. 0. U. Shepard, who first described it in the American 

 Journal of Science, Sept., 1846, p. 381, calling it chladnite. 



It constituted nearly the entire mass of the Bishopville 

 meteorite that fell in 1843. Prof. Shepard did not make out 

 its composition correctly, his analysis being imperfect. The 

 composition given by him was 



Silica 70.41 3 of oxygen. 



Magnesia 28.25 1 



Soda 1.39 



Making it out to be a tersilicate of magnesia. Although the 

 constitution was incorrectly determined, Prof. Shepard clearly 

 showed that it differed in character from any then known 

 mineral. 



Eight years after the mineral was first made»known, a small 

 fragment of the meteorite coming into my possession, a re- 

 examination was made of its chemical constitution, and the 

 errors of the first analysis discovered. But not having enough 

 of the meteorite for analysis, the simple statement was pre- 

 sented to the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, in April, 1854, "that from some investigations just 

 made chladnite is likely to prove to be a pyroxene." This 

 was noticed in the proceedings of the association for that year, 

 and referred to in the American Journal of Science, March, 

 1855, p. 162. Ten years later a specimen of the Bishopville 

 meteorite of good size being placed at my disposal, the mineral 

 was separated in a very pure state, and found to be composed 

 as follows: 



Silica 59.97 



Magnesia 39.33 



Peroxide of iron 40 



Soda, with feeble potash, and H 74 



100.44 

 This minute quantity of peroxide of iron came from a little 

 metallic iron that was present. The analysis afforded the 

 oxygen ratio 2:1, corresponding to the formula Mg 3 , Si* 2 (or 

 Mg Si), corresponding to the general formula of pyroxene. 

 The details of the examination then made are to be found in 

 the American Journal of Science, September, 1864, where it is 

 further stated that chladnite approaches those forms of pyroxene 

 known as white augite, diopside, white coccolite, etc., these 



