Washington telegraph., 1846-12-02

ana win The quckness OF the lighlning's
blast, the cotton was consumed without
smoke or oder, or ashes, or eyei the
slightest stain upon tho snow white sheet
OF ioolseapi while tho ignition of the gun.
powder seemed to be slow, although of the
best quality ot gunpowder, by which the
paper was burnt and coored, and the room
filled with smoke, He then took a small
quantity oi gunpowdcr and placing II upon
paper, entirely covered II with prepared
cotton from the other paper. Touching
the cotton with the blaze of match, II
exploded without burning oi The gunpow.
derl subsequently, at my apartments he
exploded cotton upon the palm of my hand.
without my feeling the sensation Ct heat,
such was the remarkable rapidily of its
igniting.
A short time, il is stated by the invent.
ors is only required for the preparation of
The article, and the process is so exceedingly
simple tha, Il can bo manufactured by com.
mon laborers, and without any danger
whatever Of combustion. Il can be iii ior
use in few hours after The cotton is taken
from the bale, and without affecting its
properties nluriously, As soon as redried,
II is again 1T for use. There is nothing
TO apprehend 10 Il from It's spontaneous
combustion, nor will il ignite by friction
IN its transportation, or ia the loading Of
firearms, or become innamed unier a
temperature oi 200 degrees Clesius. Il will
catch lire either from a blaze or spark.
The fact has been ascertalned from re.
pealed experiments, that the foriy.eighh
part Of an ounce Of the prepared cotton
will propcl bullet from an Americon rifle,
as lar and as fast as the trelfh part Of an
ounce ol gunpowdeE The sixteenth part
OF an ounce will drive three quarter ounce
ball 1900 paeesl Moreover, tho barrel
never requires cleaning. Forty shots with.
out iniermission have been made, and with.
out any ptrccpiiblo accumulation of filth,
while the gun was throughout, entirely free
from heat. In firing 3 pounder, tho
result was the same In this respect. The
experiments in blasting rocks with prepar.
ed cotton have also been eminenily sue.
eessiul. At Balse a larc block Of granite,
measuring 2iO cubic icet, was blown up by
iouf ounces, which could not have been
effected with less thau two pounds Of supe.
rior ginpowder.
Last week the power Of the article was
tested at a meeting Of the British seien.
tilic Association"-an association com.
posed o! tho most profoundly learned indi.
slduals in Europe-and they were amazed
with what was accomplished. Sir ].
Hefsohel took occasion 10 remark, Pro.
iessor Sehoubein being present, that .qhe
discovery la ,So neat generation might
arm mankind with the widest powers -
The inventor was Than who could tear
up rocks, aud almost call down The light.
nings."
understand that l25 lbs. Of cotton, in
the state in which Il is found in the bale,
when properly prepared, will weigh, l65
lbs., andlha, even here, where tho staple
is much dearer Than in ,hs United States.
the article will cost considerably less than
gunpoSder. What the other materials
are used in the manufacture will Of course
remain secret, until patents are secured
among the various nations. One has
already been taken ou, Or Great Britain;
and the States Of the Germantic con.edera.
tion have, through the Diet, consented to
100000 forms merely for the righ, Of
preparing il for the army, provided com.
mission, which has been Instituted to test
il in every conceivable way, shall report
iavorably. The experiment, will be made
at Mayence in few days.
Should the prepared eOiion supercede
gunPowder entirely, rev market will be-
created for any redundancy Of yield, and
an absolute consumption occur. Two or
three hundred thousand bales, a, a mode.
rate calculation will he burnt up annually.
Mr.. Grove, celebrated chemist Of Eng.
land, commenting upon the importance Of
the discovery, says: at is necessary to
mix combustible substance which will
bring forth sufficient quantity Of oxygen
to catch fire, whereby. under certain
iemperaiurc,,he whole will explode. These
two substances are contained in the gun.
powder; hut even in the best Of this article
that is manufactured, a part Of Il remains
after explosion, on which account fire. arms
require cleaning alter being discharged Of
the contents. The invention Of Professor
Sehoubein is without this fault, while the
power Of lis explosion isiwice as great as
thai of gunnowdern