THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
433 
regard them, the gun, although undoubtedly the most powerful gun in the 
world, must either fail to accomplish its intended object, or a new powder 
must be provided. We may, indeed, advantageously increase the calibre so 
as to reduce the columns of powder and shot; but alterations of this 
description with such a very heavy gun entail considerable expense, and 
may perhaps be avoided by a systematic series of experiments beforehand 
to determine not only the best sort of powder to be used, but also the 
weight and calibre of the gun to be adopted. 
II. What remains to be done. 
What remains to be done, is therefore to determine with greater certainty 
the law of pressure during the first part of the shot's motion through the 
bore, in order that it may be made to approximate as closely as possible to 
the law of strength of the gun, without running any risk from sudden 
pressure or anomalous pressures of whatever description. No method of 
accomplishing this has as yet met with entire success. Rodman's veloci- 
meter failed for want of delicacy. The chronoscope of Captain Noble 
cannot be relied on for the reasons given. Another attempt was made by 
General Mayevski, of the Russian artillery, who attached to the base of the 
shot a rod which he passed through a hole in the breech of the gun. As 
the shot moved, the end of this rod was made to break two electric currents 
at varied distances with different rounds. It seems strange that he did not 
make it trace a curve on a revolving cylinder, for he would thus at least 
have obtained what is most required, viz., a tracing for a very short space 
from the very starting point of the shot. The connecting rod, however, 
broke, and his results are of no practical importance.^ 
Particular care must be given to determine, as far as possible, the nature 
of the anomalous pressures so often referred to, so as to know whether they 
are due to length of cartridge and position of point of ignition, or to some 
chemical or physical law. If the former, they may probably be prevented; 
but if the latter, they may be expected to manifest themselves on the attain¬ 
ment and in continuation of some definite pressure, and will have to be 
avoided. 
The experiments, however, will not be complete if they merely tell us 
what is best adapted to any existing service gun. By a comparison of the 
results obtained with varied powders, bores, charges, and projectiles, some 
laws must be established which will enable us to determine beforehand what 
powder, calibre, charge, and projectile will be best adapted to any contem¬ 
plated new gun; for if, when we make a new gun, we have not only to alter 
the bore, but also the powder, we shall land ourselves in an expenditure of 
money which will very soon ring the knell of our future monster artillery, 
and the ships will beat us in the race. 
The precise nature of the powder to be adopted is not by any means to 
be considered as definitely settled. The pebble powder which has been 
recommended by the Committee has given satisfactory results only as far as 
* “ Memoire sur les experiences faites a l’establissement de M. Krupp a Essen, au mois de 
Novembre 1867, pour determiner les pressures des gaz de la poudre dans l’ame des bouches a feu,” 
par M. Mayeyski, General Major, Membre du Comite de l’Artillerie Russe, 1869. 
