258 



Dr. W. Flight. 



[May 24, 



IV. "Examination of the Meteorite which fell on the 16th 

 February, 1883, at Alfianello, in the District of Yerolan- 

 nova, in the Province of Brescia, Italy." By Walter 

 Flight, D.Sc, F.G.S. Communicated by Professor G..G. 

 Stokes, Sec. R,S. Received May 17, 1883. 



I gather from a short preliminary notice, which has been sent by 

 M. Denza to Professor Daubree, and has been published in a recent 

 number of the " Comptes Rendus," a few particulars respecting the 

 fall of this stone, and its general appearance. 



The fall took place, with a loud detonation, at 2.55 p.m. on the day 

 above mentioned ; it was heard in the neighbouring provinces of 

 Cremona, Verona, Mantua, Piacenza, and Parma. In Alfianello it 

 is described as " epouvan table.'" 



It descended from N.N.E. to S.S.W., at a distance of about 150 

 metres from a peasant, who fell fainting to the ground ; telegraphic 

 wires were set in motion, and the windows were shaken. It struck 

 the ground about 300 metres south-west of Alfianello, in a field on an 

 estate called Prosera, penetrating the soil, in the same direction as it 

 passed through the air, from east to west, to a depth of about 

 1 metre, the path through the soil being about 1'50 metre. "When 

 taken out of the ground it was still a little warm. It fell complete, 

 but was at once broken to pieces by the farmer of the estate. 



The stone is oval in form, and somewhat flattened in the centre, the 

 lower part being larger and convex, like a kettle, the upper part 

 being truncated. The surface is covered with the usual black crust, 

 and strewn with little cavities, now met with as individuals, now in 

 groups, and in the eye of some people bearing a resemblance to the 

 impression of a hand or the foot of a she-goat. The stone weighs 

 about 200 kilos. 



In structure this meteorite belongs to the group Sporadosideres 

 oligosideres, and resembles Aumalite, being almost identical with the 

 meteorite of New Concord, Ohio. 



The substance is finely granular, of ash-grey colour ; a polished 

 surface appears to be finely grained and breccia-form, with the 

 elements offering different gradations of colour. Metallic grains are 

 disseminated, and little nests are noticed, of iron with one of the 

 compounds, of a yellowish-white or bronze. In one place where the 

 metallic grains are numerous they appear to bear to the stony portion 

 the ratio 68 : 1000. The density of the stone is 347 to 3-50. 



The meteorite was dried at 120°, and treated with solution of 

 mercury chloride, and thus there were dissolved the troilite and nickel- 

 iron. The troilite constituted 6 '919 per cent, of the meteorite, and 

 the nickel-iron forms 2'108 of the stone, with the composition — 



