110 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
BELGIAN EXPERIMENTS 
ON THE 
PROOF OF GUNPOWDER IN 1858. 
Arrangements have been recently made by directions of the Secretary of 
State for War for the future testing of all gunpowders by ascertaining the 
initial velocity of shot from a standard gun with a uniform charge. These 
experiments will be made at Shoeburyness, under the direction of the 
Ordnance Select Committee, with Navez electro-ballistic apparatus: using 
a smooth-bored service 32-pr. for ordinary LG powder, and probably a 40-pr. 
rifled gun for rifle large grained LCR or A 4 powder; in addition to the 
standard 12-pr. Armstrong gun which has been used for the same purpose 
for the last twelvemonth. 
The following extracts from a Report by Lieut.-Col. Younghusband, R.A., 
dated Liege, July 15, 1858, contain much useful information bearing on 
the same subject, and will form an appropriate introduction to it in these 
“ Proceedings.” 
“ I have attended some experiments which have recently been made at 
Antwerp on the proof of gunpowder. These experiments, as tending to 
shew the proofs to which gunpowder for cannon ought to be subjected, are 
of the highest importance and interest, and I think worthy the attention and 
consideration of officers employed, either in the manufacture of gunpowder 
or its use in testing the endurance of cannon. 
“ I am informed that Colonel --, the officer in charge of artillery 
materiel at Antwerp, has, for nearly a year past, been engaged, unofficially, in 
experiments for proving gunpowder, but it is only within a recent period that 
the Government has ordered their systematic continuance. The circumstances 
that gave rise to them were, I believe, these:— 
"Last year, several iron guns burst in the course of ordinary practice at 
Brasschaet; a Commission of officers was ordered to investigate the probable 
causes of these accidents; their general opinion was that all guns received 
into the service ought to resist a moderate number of rounds with any 
powder which had passed the regulated tests; but a strong opinion having 
been expressed by some members of the Commission that some of the 
powder issued for service was extraordinarily destructive to cannon, the 
character of which was not exhibited by the regular proofs, the Government 
ordered experiments on the proving of powder to be made, and likewise 
others having the twofold object of testing certain mixtures of iron for 
guns, and their resisting powers to different qualities of powder. 
“ I am unable at present to state more than the general results, but 
have been promised a copy of the experiments in detail. I am, however, 
