VICTORIAN METEORITES, WITH NOTES ON OBSIDIANITES. 
Date of Discovery. — (?) 1898. 
Date of First Record— 1899. 
Collection. — Not known. 
References. — 1 (p. 55), 40, 41. 
Mr. J. C. H. Mingaye, analyst to the New South Wales Depart- 
ment of Mines, states (41) that in 1899 a small sample, consisting 
largely of metallic iron much oxidized, also a number of brittle 
stones, were submitted to a qualitative analysis, and reported to 
be of meteorite origin. 
Mr. J. A. Stansleigh, in a letter to the Department, dated 27th 
December, 1900, says that the specimen was found about 7 miles 
from the place of writing (Bendoc) in a sluicing claim in heavy 
boulder- wash. When just discovered the meteorite was reported to 
have weighed about 60 lbs. Inquiries were made, with a view to 
obtaining the balance of the meteorite, but nothing further was heard. 
In a private communication Mingaye mentions that of the portion sent 
to the Department of Mines only two or three grams remained after 
completion of the analyses. 
A chemical examination was made of the metallic and non- 
metallic portions, the result of which was as follows : — 
Metallic Portion.— This consisted mainly of metallic iron, iron 
oxide, and nickel. The mass had undergone considerable oxidation, 
and was thickly coated with rust, portions of the material being 
readily broken on the application of slight pressure. 
Chemical Composition — 
Silica and insoluble matter 
Iron 
Nickel 
Cobalt 
Copper 
Magnesia (MgO) 
Sulphur 
Phosphorus 
Oxygen, &c. 
100-000 
78-288 
7-814 
•526 
Minute trace 
1-874 
•461 
•184 
9-313 
Specific gravity . . . . 5 ' 839 
In his Departmental report (40) Mingaye states that platinum 
was found to be present, the amount being estimated as under 
2 dwts per ton. This fact was unfortunately omitted from his 
subsequent paper (41) from which the above analyses have been 
taken. He also mentions, in a private letter, that he had detected 
platinum in another meteorite examined later than the one from 
Bendoc. 
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