Hiya,
This is a cast iron shroud from the turn of the century. It was on a grinding machine made for sharpening tooling. It has a local connection being made for the Diamon Machine Company in Providence, RI. There is a picture below of the original machine it was on in Worcester, MA. It could be used for interesting lighting, a planter, or even as a watering trough for pets/animals. The measurements are in the photos below. It probably weighs in excess of 50 lbs. The tabs on the bottom allow it to be bolted to the ground or another surface.