involved in the Construction of Artillery. 351 



Government powdei-mills (Bouchet), resulted at once in the production of a powder whose 

 ignition was so rapid, that, after patient and careful trials, it was found their bronze guns 

 were injured by it to such an extent, as to induce its immediate abandonment, and powder 

 of this character is since known in France as " Poudre hrisante." 



How far tlie opinion thus referred to in the text, that modern powders visit on cannon 

 an increased distress — an increment of long and slow growth — as compared with the 

 powders of the middle of the last century, and previous, may admit of historic or of expe- 

 rimental confirmation or reversal, I know not. The general impression of foreign profes- 

 sional writers on the subject, however, appeal's to me to sustain it: — 



" Ce n'est done qu a mesure que les bouches a feu, plus solidement fabriquees ont permis 

 de donner a la poudre plus de force, qu'on est parvenu, jiar le simple tatonnement, a trouver 

 la proportion la plus convenable au dosage des trois matieres, cc qui de concert avec de 

 meilleurs precedes observes dans la fabrication, a suocessivement amene la poudre au degre 

 de force ou elle est parvenue, et ou elle est enlin restee depuis quelques annees." — La 3Iar- 

 tilliere, t. 1, p. 6, Paris, 1819. 



" Une deuxieme consideration encore plus importante, est la plus grande force de la 

 poudre de guerre d'aujourd'hui, — qui agit plus puissaniment pour la destruction de la piece 

 que pour chasser le projectile. Nos plus nouvelles bouches a feu ont incontestiblement 

 plus de tenacite que les anciennes: quelques essais et la seule inspection de la cassure des 

 dernieres qui est presque noiratre" (cast-iron guns namely), " et qui n'offre que des soufflures 

 grossieres le prouve suffisamment ; .... neanmoins les chroniques anciennes ne font aucune 

 mention de ces accidents malheureux si frequens anjourd'hui. Sans explication que nous 

 verrons de donner sur la force de la poudre ce phenomene serait tout-a-fait incompre- 

 hensible, d'autant mieux qu'autrofois la charge de poudre des canons etait plus forte 

 qu'au'jourd'hui." — Moritz Meyer, Cap.de I' Art. Pruss., pp. 105-6, Paris, 1834. 



His editor, Peretzdorf, in a note, says that General Eble, in 1808, made comparative 

 proofs of powder of that date, with some a century old, or more, and that the old powder 

 was the stronger. The trial seems, however, to have been only one of comparative range 

 by the eprouveite, and, therefore, is not in point. 



Proofs made in Bavaria, of ancient bronze guns, which had stood service in former 

 years, and yet burst with ordinary charges more recently, and were found on examination 

 to be composed of very inferior material, with much accidental foreign metals, and to which 

 their weakness was justly attributed, all lead to the same conclusion; however weak, they 

 should have withstood the same strain at one time as at another. 



One thing is certain, that civil inventors, or improvers of ordnance, or contractors for 

 the supply of artillery, should be well aware, of this great disparity in the distress possible 

 to be visited upon guns by apparently precisely the same charge of powder, and weight of 

 shot. 



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