254 Analysis of the Khettree Meteorite. [No. 4 



surface is studded over with metallic particles, many of them having a 

 bright metallic lustre, and there are also observable by aid of a lens, 

 spots of a yellowish or brown colour from oxidation of the Iron, and 

 granules of a greenish yellow colour and translucent appearance, pro- 

 bably Olivine. Spherules of earthy matter are also visible and round 

 cavities in which others have been imbedded. When coarsely powdered 

 the spherules are more visible, and when more finely powdered and 

 examined under water with the lens, the lighter portion of the stone 

 exhibits a considerable quantity of a nearly white crystalline matter, 

 the particles of which are tolerably uniform in size, mixed with small 

 angular fragments of black, brownish, opaque and greenish yellow 

 translucent minerals, and irregularly shaped but rounded particles of 

 Iron. The dark grey portion exhibits the same appearances, but with 

 a much larger proportion of dark-coloured earthy minerals. The 

 particles of the iron having resisted trituration now appear much 

 larger than the others. After the metallic matter has been removed 

 by acid, the remainder seems to consist of the white fine crystalline 

 matter, observed in the original light grey portion of the stone, mixed 

 with a few black particles. The stone is not very hard, and but for 

 the particles of Iron, is not difficult to powder. 



It is covered with a dark grey nearly black crust, cellular on the 

 surface and corrugated somewhat longitudinally, and of about one • 

 third of a millimetre thick. 



Many of the older analyses of Meteorites are very imperfect, being 

 very defective even in the detection and estimation of the chemical 

 constituents. Of late the chemical examination has been much more 

 complete, and improvementshave been made in their proximate analysis, 

 obviously a matter of the greatest interest. The most recent of these 

 investigations have been the very valuable ones by Daubree and 

 Meunier of the Museum of Paris, chiefly on Meteoric Iron, for the 

 separation of the uncombined metal from the sulphides and phosphides 

 and other constituents. As my attention had not been previously 

 directed towards 1 the analyses of Meteorites, I did not notice their 

 papers so early as would have been desirable, and lost time and labour 

 in the first processes employed. The separation of the earthy minerals 

 is still very imperfect, and there are no very obvious means available 

 for this purpose. 



