East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-11-19

with mud, or even snow, has been
known to burst Just behind the obstruc
tion. AZ gun is usually loaded, the
ball, moving with the gas first generated,
it's inertia is gradually overcomc, IL fur.
nishcs space 10y degrees as the develop,
ment OF the gas requires 1t; no shock is
felt, and nearly the whole force of the
powder is transmitted to the ball il side
of tl,s gun. As . general rule, and be.
fore coming 10 the limit of dust, the
smaller the grair the more rapid the
combustion, and tho greater tn burst
ing force Il III. powder. This is the
reason that in small arms the fine grain.
Ell powder is used. II has but q short
distance in which TO act on the project.
lie, and, being in small quantity, It's
bursting force IL not such as TO iniure
the gun. In larger pieces the charges
are 80 great that did they burn fast, no
metal could withstand the shock. Hence
cannon powder is composed of coarse
grains. II is n Characteristic of gun.
powder, that the greater the opposition
offered to the expansion of the gases
While the powder is burning, the greater
becomes the force developed. Thus,
for instance, gun is made smaller at
the seat Of the charge by making use
at chamber, because tho powder is
thereby more confined, and a greater
force developed; and it is found that the
form OF chamber which delays .he es.
cape of the gas the longest is product.
i've of the greatest force. Thus, in
blasting rocks, the amount of execution
10y small charge OF powder is appa
rently out of proportion to the size, on
account OF the manner in which the
powder is confined. The volumes of
gas generated 10y an explosion of pow
der has been estimated rs high as live
thousand times the original bulk. But
no definite ilca can be given of its ab.
soluto force. Yet its expansion has a
limit, and the idea once entertained, that
thlmbeful of powder, completely con.
lined at the centre of the earth, would,
ifignited, produce general earthquake,
is now exploded.
The bomb.shell is probably the most
fearful missile to which gnnpowder has
given birth. A shell is hollow ball of
iron. The largest ones, OF ten and
twelve inches in diameter, are generally
filled with powder only, doing their
work 10y crushing from roof to base.
ment and hurting death with every
fragment when bursting. The small SIX
inch shells are filled with !eaden muskct
balls through hole in the side. They
are consolidated into mass by pouring
IN melted sui phur, after which, being
put IN lathe, hole is drilled down the
lead and sulphur, perforating the whole
I;'ass. The diameter of the hole is the
same as that in the wall of the shell. 1t
will contain about halt pound of pow.
der. This being poured in even with
the outer surface of the shell, q fuse is
fitted into the orifice, making the shell
water proof. When fired from the gun
II can be made to explode in one, two,
three or four minutes after leaving it, at
the option of the gunner. 1t first Do.
stroys by striking, like an ordinary ball,
then bursts and scatters the bullet. on
every side The fuse is ignitcd by the
discharge Of the gun. - sA'
a SEPUY WAX
When the Sepoys of India rose in re.
bellion against the English residents,
and IN the first outbreak of savage fe
rocty, committed crimes at which hu.
manity shudd, red, the hearts of the
American Leople We're with the victims.
These murdered men, these agonised
women, were our kindred; and every
man felt, as Commodore atnall said
when he sent American sailors to aid
the British in China, that "blood is
thicker than wster.n
Ii We had been near enough to lu,lia
to make our aid available, thousands
would have volunteered to cave those to
whom community of race and language
and religion united us.
And does any one suppose Europe
would look with any different feelings
upon a Negro War, waged with all it's
revolving horrors against the white citi.
Hens of the Confederate States? The
sympathics of the whole world, ia such
contest, would be with the master
race, and not with the servile class. We
do not say that Europe would inter.
WV Uus huiVpc''e VI All uatIOns WOuIu
volunteer on the side OF their own en-.
periled kindred.
The African and the Asiatic are an
alien and inferior race. Less than 100. |
600 Eoglishmen, in population Of 800. |
600 900 in India, overcame the Sepoys. |
Yet these were intelligent, armed, disci.
pllncd, had money, and even a litera
ture. What are the Africans Of tho |
South? Without arms, without habits
of cooperation, without money, or arts,
or means of communication, and out.
numbered two to. one by the whites,
their attempts at insurrection would be
followed by overwhelming defeat Ter.
rible to them would be the result of the
conflict. Onchalf would, II need be,
be made the exccutioncrs of the other
half
We have had many phases of miscal.
culation, misestimate and false conf.
dence; but there is no delusion so great
as that which counts upon the instiga.
ton of servilc war in the South, as a
means to he employed by the NORTH
1t would set the whole world against
us. Even those who have checked our