Miscellaneous Intelligence. 443 



In March, I sent specimens of my new compounds to some of my 

 friends, in particular to Messrs. Faraday, Herschel and Grove. It is 

 necessary to note expressly that the gun-cotton formed part of these 

 products; but I must add, that hardly was it discovered when I em- 

 ployed it in experiments of shooting, the success of which encouraged 

 me to continue them. Accepting the obliging invitation which I re- 

 ceived, I went in the middle of April to VVurtemburg, and made ex- 

 periments with gun-cotton both in the arsenal of Ludwigsburg, in the 

 presence of artillery officers, and in Stuttgard, before the king him- 

 self. In the course of May, June and July, with the kind cooperation 

 of the Commandant de Mechel, of M. Burkhardt, captain of artillery, 

 and other officers, I subsequently made in this city (Bale) numerous 

 experiments with arms of small calibre, such as pistols, carbines, &c, 

 and afterwards with mortars and cannon, — experiments at which Baron 

 de Kriidener, the Russian ambassador, was several times present. I 

 may be allowed to mention, that I was the person who fired the first 

 cannon loaded with gun-cotton and shot, on the 28th of July, if I re- 

 member aright, after we had previously ascertained, by experiments 

 with mortars, that the substance in question was capable of being used 



with pieces of large calibre. 



About the same time, and indeed previously, I employed gun-cotton 

 to blast some rocks at Istein in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and to blow 

 up some old walls at Bale; and in both cases I had opportunities of 

 convincing myself in the most satisfactory manner, of the superiority 

 of this new explosive substance over common gunpowder.* 



Experiments of this kind, which took place frequently and in the 

 presence of a great number of persons, could not long remain un- 

 known; and the public journals soon gave, without participation on 

 roy part, descriptions, more or less accurate, of the results which I had 

 obtained. This circumstance, joined to the short notice which I insert- 

 ed in the May number of PoggendorfTs Annalen, could not fail to at- 

 tract the attention of German chemists : in the middle of August I re- 

 ceived from M. Bcettger, Professor at Frankfort, the news that he had 

 succeeded in preparing gun-cotton and other substances. Our two 

 names thus became associated in the discovery of the substance in ques- 

 tion. To M. Bcettger the gun-cotton must have been particularly inter- 

 esting, as he had previously discovered an organic acid which defla- 

 grates readily. , . 4 , . ., 



In the month of August I went to England, where, assisted by the 

 able engineer, Mr. Richard Taylor of Falmouth, I made numerous ex- 

 periments in the mines of Cornwall, which were entirely successful, in 

 the opinion of all competent witnesses. Experiments on the action of 

 gun-cotton were also made in several parts of England under my di- 

 rection, both with small firearms and with pieces of artillery, and the 

 results obtained were very satisfactory. 



Until that time there had been little or nothing said of gun-cotton in 



F 



ranee 



at Southampt 



: and it will appear that the short notices which Mr. Grove gave 

 mmpton at the meeting of the British Association and the ex- 



Pe 



rcussion 



in me moncn 01 June i mau^ «»^ -..v. — — r - ■ — — • * , _ir liw ' 



them with success for muskets, in the presence of the above-named officers. 



