W. J. Taylor on Meteoric Iron from Mexico. 



375 



lichsten Bergwerke. Eeviere de Mexico 1804, p. 192 and 288. 

 Chladni (u. F. M. s. 336) Partsch, (D. M. S. 99.) 



In the examination made by M. Berthier he failed to detect 

 the presence of cobalt, but it is mentioned by Prof. Clark that 

 Manross had found it in a specimen from the cabinet of Prof. 

 Wohler ; my examination confirms that of Mr. Manross. 



To the kindness of W. S. Yaux, Esq., I am indebted for the 

 material for this investigation; Mr. Vaux has in his magnificent 

 cabinet the principal portion of a mass which weighed over ten 

 pounds. It was originally about six inches long, with an aver- 

 age diameter of three inches ; the lump was oblong with rounded 

 ends, the whole being covered with a thin crust of limonite. 

 i A cross section cut from this lump has been carefully polished 

 and etched by strong nitric acid, which gives a most beautiful 

 surface of about three and a half inches in length, by two and 

 a half in breadth, covered with the greatest complexity of wid- 

 mannstattian figures which almost defy description. 



The surface is crossed by bands about one-tenth to one-six- 

 teenth of an inch in breadth ; these apparent bands are cross 

 sections of different planes, as is readily perceived by their dif- 

 ferent refractive powers. 



On changing the position of the specimen, those that are a 

 bright silvery white in one direction, become a dull grey in an- 

 other, and vice versa. 



There are several systems of bands, which preserve a paral- 

 lelism among themselves and cross other systems at various 

 angles, forming trapezoids, rhombs and triangles. These several 

 fields and their characteristic etchings will be described in detail 

 at some future time. Along the bands or planes, thin laminae of 

 schreibersite have been observed, as in other meteoric irons. . 



Imbedded in one side of the large lump (just described) was a 

 globule of pyrrhotine, which looks as if it had been dropped 

 into the iron when it was in a semi-fluid state. This globule ap- 

 pears to have been about an inch in diameter : it was in part 

 decomposed ; but a small portion of the mineral was separated 

 sufficiently pure for the determination of its specific gravity and 

 analysis. On dissolving it in hydrochloric acid, thin laminse of 

 schreibersite separated with minute portions of chromic iron. 



Through the kindness of Dr. F. A. Genth, I have been per- 

 mitted to make the following analysis in his laboratory : 



Pyrrhotine dissolved in nitric acid, gave — ■ 

 No. 1. Sulphur, - - - 33-76 per cent. 



Iron, .... 57-95 " 



Nickel, .... 6-70 

 Cobalt, ... -56 " 



Silicon, .... -05 u 



Phosphorus, * - - - -25 



9^27 " 



