EXPERIMENTS WITH GUN-COTTON. 155 



with fifty-four and a half grains of gunpowder sent a ball 

 through seven boards half an inch in thickness, at a distance 

 of forty yards : the same rifle, charged with forty grains 

 of gun-cotton propelled the ball into the eighth board. 

 Another rifle, which had been used for elephant shooting, 

 and consequently carried a much larger ball, charged with 

 forty grains of gun-cotton, propelled the ball through eight 

 boards, at a distance of ninety yards. In no case was the 

 discharge accompanied by a greater recoil than usual ; and 

 the reports were not louder than those accompanying the 

 discharge of guns and rifles loaded with gunpowder. We 

 understand that a hundred weight of the gun-cotton is on 

 its way from Basle to Woolwich ; having been ordered by 

 Government with the view of testing its applicability to 

 heavy ordnance. Professor Schonbein states that the 

 manufacture of the gun-cotton is unattended by risk ; and 

 that it can be effected in the small space of eight hours, and 

 at a less cost than gunpowder. If these statements shall 

 turn out to be correct, the adoption of the gun-cotton will 

 follow as a matter of course." Athenaeum, October 17th. 



The efficacy and use of this ingenious discovery will be 

 tested, I suppose, before these pages are presented to the 

 Public ; I shall only say that " as one respectful of nature's 

 fair lineaments," I should politely decline loading either 

 shot gun, rifle, or cannon with a detonating material and 

 such the cotton in question is ascertained to be; of the 

 two, I should prefer that my enemies should load, with 

 the premature intention of firing at me. 



