The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Gnnnery in 1858: being a Treatise on _kites,
Cannon, and Sporting Arms. By W. Greener,
C.E., author of " The Gun," &c. Smith and
Elder.

This work commends itself to the attention of all
connected with the selection or improvement of the
means of military warfare. The author, besides
having written previous treatises, is the inventor of
the expansive principle as applied to the Millie and.
Enfield rifles, and his work deserves the considera-
tion of all concerned in the advance and improve-
ment of gunnery, as the production of one who has
evidently studied the subject and examined it upon
scientific principles. He laments the system, so
prevalent among us, of placing men in official posi-
tions without any regard to their capacity, and the
consequent reluctance to encourage talent, or to pay
any attention to troublesome inventors. The long.
routine of forms which the inventor is made to un-
dergo, and the knowledge that, if a trial is granted,
the:judges will very probably be inefficient or inex-
perienced, arc sufficient to deter the most sanguine
and persevering individual. While the present
system is maintained, the author says with truth,
that England must be behind other countries in
gunnery, as improvements in cannon and projec-
tiles cannot be carried out by private enterprise.
He remarks that in thus censuring the manner in
which impediments are placed in the way of pro- "
gress he is animated by no personal feeling, as his
invention of the expansive bullet has been
adopted, here after being. copied in France. He is
only desirous of turning public attention to
the subject, and compares our method with that of
the French Emperor, who investigates and adopts
all inventions of value connected with gunnery,
with the theory and practice of which he is well
acquainted. Mr. Greener views his subject on
every side; he traces its history and gradual develop-
ment, he gives an elaborate account of the manu-
facture of guns, and the principles on which it
should be founded ; he describes the peculiar pro-
perties possessed by the different weapons, and
illustrates his observations with accounts of prac-
tical experiments and numerous engravings. At
the present time, when the means and appliances
of warfare have unhappily become of such imme-
diate importance, much interest is felt in all relat-
ing to the more efficient equipment of our troops.
We trust the attention of those in authority will be
turned to the consideration and adoption of im-
provements in every department. A work like the
present, thoroughly examining and explaining a
subject on scientific principles, will, however, be
always of value. We quote the following passage
relating to the manufacture of gunpowder, a subject
of more general interest than the more technical por-
tions :—" The inhabitants of India were unquestion-
ably acquainted with its composition at an early date.
Alexander is supposed to have avoided attacking
the Oxydracea, a people dwelling between the
Hyphasis and Ganges, from a report of their being
possessed of supernatural means of defence." "For,
it is said, " they come not out to fight those who
attack them, but these holy men, beloved of the
gods, overthrow their enemies with tempests and
thunderbolts shot from their walls ;" and when the
Egyptian Hercules and Bacchus overran India,
they attacked these people, " but were repulsed
with storms of thunderbolts and lightning; hurled
from above." This is, no doubt, evidence of the
use of gunpowder ; but, as it is unprofitable to
investigate this subject further, we shall merely
confine ourselves to the European authorities.
Many ascribe the discovery of gunpowder to Roger
Bacon, the monk, who was born at Ilchester, in
Somersetshire, in the year 1214, and is said to have
died in 1285. No doubt he was by far the most
illustrious, the best informed, and the most philo-
sophical of all the alchemists. In the 6th chapter of
his " Epistles of the Secrets of Arts," the following
passage occurs :—" For sounds like thunder, and
flashes like lightning, may be made in the air, and
they may be rendered even more horrible than
those of nature herself. A small quantity of mat-
ter, properly manufactured, and not larger than
the human thumb, may be made to produce a hor-
rible noise ; and this may be done many ways, by
which a city or an army may be destroyed, as was the
case when Gideon and his men broke their pitchers
and exhibited their lamps, fire issuing out of them
with great force and noise, destroying an infinite
number of the army of the Midianites.". And in
the 11th chapter of the same epistle occurs the fol-
lowing passage :—" Mix together saltpetre with
luru more cap übre and sulphur, and you will make
thunder and lightning, if you know the method of
mixing them." Here all the ingredients of gun-
powder are mentioned, except charcoal, which is
doubtless concealed under the barbarous terms used
—indeed, the anagram is easily converted into
carbonunz pulcere, with a little attention. This
discovery has also been attributed to Schwartz, a
German monk, and the date of 1320 affixed to it—a
date posterior to that which may be justly claimed
for Friar Bacon. Mr. Hallam, referring to the
authority of an Arabic author, infers that there is
no question that the knowledge of gunpowder was
introduced into Europe by means of the Sara-
cens before the middle of the 13th century; and no
doubt its use then was more for fireworks than as
an artillerist projectile force. There is good evi-
dence, too, that the use of gunpowder was intro-
duced into Spain by the Moors at least as early as
the year 1343. Now, as Roger Bacon is known to
have been an Arabic scholar, it is not at all unlikely
that lie might have become acquainted with the
mode of making the composition, and also with its
most remarkable properties, by perusing some
Arabian writer with whom we are at present un-
acquainted.

THE MAYOR OF MELBOURNE.—Sir John Ratcliff
Mayor of Birmingham, has invited Mr. Smith, Mayor of
Melbourne, who is now in this country, to dine with him
and the other members of the town council. The invitation
has been accepted, but the day is not yet fixed.
HAVELOCK'S FORCE AT DICKNOW.—" WC are
now placed upon reduced rations, limited to two scanty
meals a day, barely sufficient to support existence, without
allaying hunger; nor had we any stimulants whatsoever,
with the exception of tea, which was attainable only to a few.
Meantime, the adverse batteries continued to play upon es
with little intermission. Throughout the night we were dis-
turbed by the fire of small arms together with shouting
and the shrill discordant sound of native music, All
close to our entrenchments. Such disturbance effectually
banished sleep, and kept us quite on the qni rive lest the
apparently impending attack should be made and find 118
unprepared. Nor was this the only mode of torment de-
vised for us by the fiendish' temper of our foe, ingenious in
petty malice. Knowing how straitened we were for food
on several occasions, they hoisted cakes on the ends of long
poles, high above the wall which separated us from them--
taunting us with our destitution, and predicting how man,'
days we had yet to live."—Major North's Journal of A'?
English Officer in India.
BOAT ACCIDENT.—On Saturday night an acci-
dent of rather a serious nature. which nearly proved fatal
to three of the party, occurred off the Lammerlaws, Burnt-
island, at about nine o'clock. Mr. William Beattie, itir.
Maay, and Mr. Thos. Tillie engaged a boat for a pleasure
sail, it being their intention to return to Burntisland before
it was dark. On the way, however, they were detained,
and at a certain point of their route two more—Jas. Tillie
and John Wylie, youths of about 14 years—were taken
into the boat. By this time it was dark, and in coasting
along the shore, at a distance of about 200 yards from it,
a proposal was made to allow two better rowers to
take the oars, the object being to get sooner home.
In changing places for this purpose the boat ay?s
capsized and immediately filled with water and son'"
Out of the five contained in it two were good
swimmers, one could swim a little, and the other two
—Beattie and Wyllie—could not swim at all. On the boat
going down Wyllie seized hold of M‘Kay, placed his arms
round his neck, and there held on, positivelrrefusing to let
go ; the latter had therefore no alternative but to set out
for the shore so loaded, and although about to give waY
several times he contrived to reach it in safety. Tillie fol-
lowed off in the wake of his younger brother, who could
swim a little, exhorting him continually to take it easy, and
they also reached the shore in safety. All were thorouFhlY
exhausted, and, with the exception of Mr. Thomas Tillie,
were taken to a house, where they were kindly treated. In
the meantime Beattie was hanging on by the boat, calling
.loudly for help; and the only serviceable one of the party
set off to the shed where the boats are kept, broke open the
door, and by the assistance of two other young men suc-
ceeded in launching a boat. But after it was in the
water there was great difficulty experienced in getting
oars, and greater difficulty still in getting thowl-pins, of
which, in the long run, only three were obtained. The two
persons who had assisted in launching the boat, on being
solicited to man it, most unaccountably refused. Mr. Tillie,
without any hesitation, transferred the thowl-pins to suit
one rower, and when in the act of setting off to the rescue
of his comrade alone, two other young men arrived--one in
his shirt-sleeves—who volunteered to relieve him. The
offer was gladly accepted, Mr. Beattie was safely landed,
and, strange to say, is less the worse for the adventure than
any other of the party. The escape of those who swam
ashore is attributed to the circumstance of the moon, which
was shining at the time, having cast a shadow of the Lain-
merlaws some 20 or 30 yards out upon the water. They
fancied the shadow was the shore, or, m all probability-, haq
they known it was not, and that they had to swim some 2(.!
or 30 yards further, some of them would have lost heart and
gone down.—Daily Scotsman.
VICTOR HUGO.—A new volume of poems by this
distinguished author is said to be on the eve of completion.
It is to be entitled "Les Petites Epopees." The copyright
of the first edition has been disposed of to a Parisian tiitr
.0
fon), very handsome sum. In the course of next )0-ear i
expected that M. Hugo's long talked-of roina_nelfutp..!): two
en-
titled "Lea Miserables," illw be finished. 1
..'ged oats
un,,•er en„a
engaged in literary pursuits—the yo poems he has
sons, who share their father's exile in Gufrins.ey,
French translation of Shakspeare, whose
The first message
already translated with some success. The
the submarine telegraph
are boh
sent from Jersey to Guernsey b
atransmitted in repy the fol-
ygreeting to t helpoet from
laid down a few days ago was
his Jersey friends. M. Hugo
' Chatimen
ts," published some four
lowing verse from his
years ago :
4‘ uhymen; i
des nations le s'accomplit ; passions,
Interets, meeurs et .ois,revolutions,
Par qui le cceur ain •
germe et change de formes,
Paris, Londres, New York,. ces continents enormes
Ont pour lien un qui tremble au fond des mers,
tine force inconnue, emprantee aux eclairs,
Bravant l'6cueil, les vents, les vags deordees
Mel au courant des Sotsle courant dee i bdees."