so 6 Mr. Howard's Experiments and Observations 
owe their existence to this transparent substance ; and that the 
polish of the cavities arises merely from the compression of the 
said substance, and is the natural consequence of its surface 
having been in perfect contact with that of the iron. 
This iron is very malleable : it may be easily cut with a knife ; 
and may be as easily flattened or extended by means of a 
hammer. Its specific gravity is £>487; which, however, is very 
much under that of iron which has been merely melted, and has 
not been forged. The specific gravity of the native iron of 
Bohemia, which is nearly as malleable and as easy to be cut, is 
still less : I found it not to exceed 6146. This low degree of 
gravity, appears to be owing partly to the oxidizement of the 
surface of the iron, and partly to there being, in the interior 
part of its substance, a number of small cavities, which 
are often rendered visible by fracture, and which have their 
surfaces also oxidized. The fracture of this iron, presents the 
same shining and silvery white colour as the common cast iron, 
known by the name of white cast iron ; but its grain is much 
smoother and finer : it is also much more malleable when cold. 
Bergman says that this iron is brittle, when heated to a red 
heat. I have frequently tried it in that state, and have constantly 
found it to be malleable. The same remark may be applied to 
the native iron from South America; and also to that from 
Senegal. 
The second of the two specimens mentioned above, and 
which weighs several pounds, presents an aspect that differs, in 
.some respects, from that of the preceding specimen. The most 
considerable part of it forms a solid compact mass, in which 
there is not to be perceived the smallest appearance of pores or 
cavities ; but there arises upon its surface, a kind of ramified 
