412 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
Whether there may be any truth in these theories or not, 
I cannot determine, only they make me the more anxious that 
we should be possessed of a map of reference of these strange 
phenomena ; and I hope our townsman, Mr Alexander Keith 
Johnston, will be good enough to give my hint of a map of the 
"Distribution of Meteorites over the Surface of the Earth"* 
his favourable consideration, when preparing for publication 
a new edition of his valuable national work, the " Atlas of 
Physical Phenomena." 
[Since this paper was read, the half of the Meteorite, which 
was broken into two portions, has been cut into several sec- 
tions or slices ; and in the process of doing so, it was found 
that the lobed or rounded portion was very hard and dense, re- 
sembling cast-iron in its character, it was harder than untem- 
pered steel of the best quality, but not so hard as the pre- 
pared steel plate of the engraver ; while the pointed portion was 
softer and tougher, and was stated to resemble iron to which a 
small portion of malleable iron had been added. The slices 
showed that the mass was dense and metallic throughout, with 
the exception of a small part of the pointed portion, next the 
deep furrow which partially divided the mass (and by which 
it became separated into two) ; the metal here was marked over 
with dull spots, like corrosions, and seemed less pure and 
crystalline, appearing as if mixed with dross. A portion of 
this latter part was given to Dr Murray Thomson to examine 
specially for the presence of magnetic oxide of iron ; and Dr 
Thomson has accordingly added some notes on the subject 
to his previous communication. 
The mass of iron was apparently not malleable, but brittle 
in its character. It would theref6re, according to the classifi- 
cation proposed by Professor C. U. Shepard in his Report on 
Meteorites, belong to the 2d Section — Alloyed, of the 3d 
Order — Brittle, of his 1st Class — Metallic Meteorites. 
(See Silliman s American Journal" for 1846 and 1847.) 
^ Mr K. P. Greg of Manchester has since informed uie that maps of meteoric 
deposition have been lately published, in illustration of a memoir — Ueber 
den Ursprung der Meteorsteine" — by P. A. Kesselmeyer; in the third volume 
of the " Abhandlungen, Herausgegeben von der Senckenbergischen Naturfor- 
schenden Gesellschaft. Frankfurt A. M., 1859-61." 
