388 



GEEVILLE, EGBERT K. 



GUNPAPEE. 



proceeded to Washington, and urgently sought 

 for active service. The records of the Navy 

 Department afford ample evidence of his pro- 

 fessional ability, as well as patriotic disposition. 

 There are few if any officers now in the ser- 

 vice who are possessed of more practical expe- 

 rience on our coast, or who could render better 

 service than did Eear-Admiral Gregory. His 

 efforts to be placed on the active list were 

 finally successful, and in July, 1861, he was or- 

 dered to superintend the construction of all 

 vessels of war built outside of navy-yards, and 

 it was while engaged in this duty he died. He 

 was 'commissioned rear-admiral, July 16, 1862. 



GEE VILLE, EOBT. KAYE, LL. D.,'F. E. S. E., 

 an eminent Scottish botanist and philanthropist, 

 born at Bishop Auckland in 1794; died in his 

 villa in Murrayfield, June 4, 1866. He was 

 educated for the medical profession at Edin- 

 burgh and London, but circumstances having 

 rendered him independent of this profession as 

 a means of livelihood, he determined to devote 

 himself to the study of botany. He delivered 

 several courses of popular lectures on zoology 

 and botany, and formed large collections of 

 plants and insects, which were eventually pur- 

 chased by the University of Edinburgh. Dr. 

 Greville took a very warm interest in many so- 

 cial reforms and in, various schemes of Christian 

 philanthropy; especially was he prominent in 

 the agitation against slavery in the colonies, 

 being one of the four vice-presidents of the great 

 Anti-Slavery Association of all countries, held in 

 London in 1840. He was the author of "Flora 

 Edinensis," " Scottish CryptogamicFlora," " Al- 

 ga) Britannicse," and a portion of " Icones Fili- 

 euffl," beside numerous papers in various scienti- 

 fic journals. In 1824 the University of Glasgow 

 conferred on him the degree of LL. D. Dr. G. 

 was Honorary Secretary of the Botanical So- 

 ciety, a Fellow of the Eoyal Society of Edin- 

 burgh, and Honorary and Corresponding Mem- 

 ber of several important scientific bodies in Eng- 

 land, France, Germany, and the United States. 



GliOTE, JOHN", B D., an English Episcopal 

 clergyman and philosophical writer, born at 

 Beckenham, Kent, May 5, 1813 ; died at his 

 vicarage, near Cambridge, August 21, 1866. 

 He was a son of George Grote of Oxon, and a 

 younger brother of the famous historian of 

 Greece; graduated at Trinity College in 1835, 

 and soon after 1838 was elected fellow of his 

 college, continuing so until his death. In 1855, 

 upon the resignation of Dr. Whewell, he was 

 elected professor of Moral Philosophy in Cam- 

 bridge University, which position ha held dur- 

 ing his life. In 1847 he was presented by his 

 college to the vicarage of Trumpington. His 

 mind was richly stored with all kinds of knowl- 

 edge. Every field of literature had charms for 

 him, and his quick and retentive memory seemed 

 never to lose its hold on that which it had once 

 embraced. His writings, from a disregard of 

 the graces of style very characteristic of him, do 

 him but imperfect justice, though they give 

 evidence of a mind of great clearness, vigor, 



and originality. His " Examination of Portions 

 of Dr. Lushington's Judgment," is perhaps the 

 ablest pamphlet which has been written on the 

 question of a naal court of appeal, and his un- 

 finished work, " Exploratiq Philosophica " is a 

 masterly review of modern theories of philoso- 

 phy. He was a man of earnest .and simple 

 piety, and in his parish his genial kindness and 

 constant benevolence endeared him to all. 

 GUATEMALA. (See CENTRAL AMERICA.) 

 GUNPAPEE. This composition is 'attract- 

 ing attention as a material combining all the 

 elements of destruction in its nature with tho 

 much-desired principle of safety. It possesses 

 highly penetrative power, with a safety which, 

 if not absolute, is, at any rate, far superior to 

 that of either gun-cotton or gunpowder. It was 

 first introduced by Mr. G. S. Melland, of Lon- 

 don, and consists of paper impregnated with a 

 composition formed of the following ingre- 

 dients : chlorate of potash, 9 parts ; nitrate of 

 potash, 4| parts ; prussiafce of potash, 3J parts ; 

 powdered charcoal, 3^ parts; starch, ^ T st 

 part ; chr ornate of potash, -j^th. part ; and 

 water, 79 parts. These materials are mixed 

 together, and subjected to an hour's boiling ; 

 the solution is then ready for use, and the 

 paper is passed in sheets through the mixture. 

 The saturated paper is now ready for manufac- 

 turing into the form of cartridge, and is rolled 

 into compact length of any diameter, from that 

 of a small revolver to that of a six-hundred 

 pounder. These rolls may be made of the ex- 

 act length required for each charge, or they 

 may be made a foot, or even a yard long, 

 and be afterward cut up to suit the charge. 

 After rolling, the gunpaper is dried at a tem- 

 perature of 212 Fah., when it presents the ap- 

 pearance of a compact grayish mass, resembling 

 nothing so much as a piece of vulcanized india- 

 rubber door-spring. From some comparative 

 experiments recently made with the material, 

 it would appear that the advantages claimed for 

 it over gunpowder, are by no means imaginary or 

 slight. It appears to afford a perfect substitute 

 for gunpowder, superseding gun-cotton and all 

 other explosive compounds yet tried. ^It is re- 

 garded by the Mechanics' Magazine as safe alike 

 in manufacture and use ; the chemical solution 

 is the reverse of combustible, and the paper id 

 dried at a very low temperature. In its use its 

 manipulation is unattended by the danger at- 

 taching to gun-cotton, it may be freely handled 

 without fear of explosion, which is not even in- 

 duced by percussive action. It is only exploded 

 by contact with fire, or at equivalent tempera- 

 tures, and is readily and accurately cut into 

 cartridges by hand. In its action it is quick 

 and powerful, having in this respect a de- 

 cided advantage over gunpowder, than which 

 it is also much cleaner in action. Its use is 

 unaccompanied by the greasy residuum al 

 ways observable in gun-barrels fired with pow- 

 der, the gun-barrels after firing the gunpaper 

 being perfectly dry and comparatively clean. 

 Its explosion produces less smoke thaa 



