The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-10-27 00:00:00

Co.'s.—Within tl

•
ays circumstances are

understood to have transpired which leave no doubt tu,,-
ere long the large amount of property stolen from the
banking-house of Messrs. Rogers and Co. will be restQlVi•
That the whole of the notes, to the amount'of £40,1100h.
are still in existence, has been satisfactorily proved by the
fact that a few days since a .E 1 note, the number of which
does not appear in the printed list, but which was stolen
at the time, was forwarded to the banking-Vpuse, the
party sending it requesting the receipt of it to ba acknotr-
'edged in the newspapers, and stating the whole of the
notes would be restored upon the payment 0r.£10,000,
the acknowledgment to be to "H. F.' This request was
accordingly complied with ; but as to the coiPprornieet
that has not been ascertained; and from a variety of cir-
cumstances which have transpired, but which it would be
at present highly injudicious to notice, furthei than the
mere assertion, no doubts are now entertained but that
the whole of the stolen notes will be recovered, and at the
same time such evidence will be adduced as to lead to the
conviction of the offender. Paragraphs have occasionally
appeared, stating that some of the stolen notes have been
circulated on the continent. This is incorrect, for the
steps taken render the negociation of them impossible.
and it is well known that the whole of the stolen notef
are at the present period secreted in the metropolis.

THE GUN-COTTON.—An English surgeon, Mr. Thos.
Taylor, has discovered that the gun cotton can be mad°
with the ordinary nitric acid of commerce, by previouslY
mixing it with about one-third of its volume of sulphuric
acid. The cotton when immersed in this mixture quickly
becomes whiter, more opaque, and loses its elasticity
After having assumed this appearance, which it does in
the. course of a few minutes, it is to be taken out and well
washed in water, to remove the slightest trace of acid;
It may then be squeezed in a linen cloth, dried, and
carded. Thus' prepared, the cotton differs very little is
appearance from ordinary cotton, except that it is more
harsh to the feel. On the application of an ignited body
it explodes without leaving the slightest residue, as well
as readily when struck by a hammer, and could be fired
over gunpowder without igniting the latter. Dr. Otto
has also publisred an account of the process of menu'
facture. He says—" In order to obtain explosive cotton,
I steep it for half a minute in strongly-concentrated nitric
acid, which I prepare by the distillation of ten parts of
dry saltpetre and six parts of oil of vitriol. I then wash
it immediately in water, renewing the water so as to get
rid entirely of the acid, taking care to separate the rcr"
tions which adhere too closely together. It is then dried,
and the process is thus completed. The effects of ails
preparation have astonished all who have witnessed then''
The smallest quantity of the cotton placed on an an"'
and struck with a hammer, produces an explosion equal
to that of fulminating mercury. 'When a light is set "'all
it explodes like gunpowder, and in a gun it produces „,,e
the effects of gunpowder in much smaller quantities._ Tay
explosive cotton is to be used precisely in the sre
e after
as gunpowder. It is made up in a kind of Pcie'r, and
which a wadding is introduced, as with gu°l)°- •h a
ramrod. The explosion of the capsule produce
s n
ti it
over this a hall is placed, and all are rammed dow
the cotton." [Parties making these experiments
be too careful in doing so.]
EXTRAORDINARY TEST OF MILNER'S FIRE-RESISTING
MAN UFA CT U RES.—In accordance with the circulars is-
at f
is-
sued, the trial of these safes came off on Monday last on
a spacious plot of ground on the scuth side of the Railway
,
Dock, consequently a great number of our influential and
scientific gentlemen assembled amongst whom
were
John Gresham, Esq., Mayor, Rev. O.T. Dobbin, LL.
J. R. Pease, Esq., K. Watson, Esq., R. Firth. Esq., and
many others. A round safe of Milner's Patent was filled
with various papers, in which was also placed a gold watch
and chain, four £5 Bank of England notes, containing the
signature of the Mayor, a packet of 'gunpowder, and a
document with several notes fresh written, purposely to
try how the steam would affect the ink. After being fag'
tened down it was placed upon R pile in the centre of u
circular furnace six bricks high, leaving a space betweel
every brick to admit of draft. This safe was surrounded
with fire of the most intense heat for six hours, when, 00
being opened—to the utter astonishment of every person
—all it contained was without a singe: but such pow
has the non-conductor and tubes to repel the heat, that Is
was comparatively cool, and Mr. Wenden actually sestet
himself on the top before raising the cover. The watt
was set by the Mayor at the time of being deposited, and
wnen taken out, had not varied a second. We repeat*
this was perfectly astonishing, as the fire was so stronge
that the bricks forming the ring were completely vitrified*
The second circle contained two safes, both filled alike;
one being of the common iron construction, with chard'
bered lid; the other "Milner, No. 1;" these were sub-
jected to a similar fire for three hours, and, upon being
withdrawn, presented a contrast indeed :—the iron one
red-hot and cracked with the heat ; Milner's quite whole;
and cool, similar to a boiler. This safe was as perfe°
inside as without—not a scorch to-its contents—merely 1
slight discolouration occasioned by the essential oil from
the non-conductors ; while those of the other were re'
duced to one blackened mass of calcined ashes. A bead:
tiful skeleton lock, with various others, was also exhibited
upon the ground, and much admired ; as also a model box
lined with glass, through which could be seen the arrange-
merit of tubes, and protective principles pt' these excellent
manufactures.—.4l4ll ever,