DETONATING SYSTEM. 79 



may be going to press after the ensuing season, will 

 have time to review, and further inform the public 

 as to the merits or demerits of this invention." 



Little was I aware, at the time of writing this, 

 that the third edition would be out of print in a few 

 months, and that it would fall to my lot to give the 

 next report of this powder. 



I before said, " as this new system is the life and 

 soul of trade, let us hope that the gunmakers will 

 exert their chemical powers to render this ' devil's 

 powder' (as Mr. D. Egg used to call it) less poison- 

 ous to fire-arms/' 



It appears, however, that the gunmakers knew 

 better. But Mr. Joyce has proved a sad enemy to 

 the fraternity who fatten on the destruction of iron, 

 by establishing a manufactory of this anti-corrosive 

 percussion powder, in which he does away entirely 

 with the oxy muriate. 



It may be hardly fair to say publicly what the 

 composition is (because Mr. Joyce candidly told 

 me, though I believe it is pretty well known) ; and 

 although it was long ago adopted by Mr. Goode 

 Wright of Hereford (according to a statement which, 

 as an utter stranger, I was favoured with by this 

 gentleman), yet Mr. Joyce has had so many obstacles 

 to overcome before he could bring it to perfection, 

 that we must, at all events, give him a great deal of 

 credit. In short, it is of no consequence to me as 

 the writer, and much less to the public as readers, 

 how much credit is to ,j given to one of these 



