IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND PROJECTILES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN WALTER DE LONGUEVILLE GIFFARD, of Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, Barrister-at-Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster the
Sixth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
Fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Walter de Longueville Giffard,
my exors, adors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Walter de Longueville
Giffard, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Walter de Longueville Giffard, my exors, adñiors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should, and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-ARMS AND PROJECTILES," in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said John Walter de Longueville Giffard, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said John Walter de Longueville Giffard, do hereby declare that the
nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in fire-arms; and,
secondly, of improvements in projectiles. And in order that my Inven-
tion may be more fully understood and readily carried into effect, I
will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, shews so much of the section of a gun or fire-arm as will
enable me to describe the first part of my Invention, which consists of
causing the breech or back end of the fire-arm to project into the barrel
as indicated in the Figure in place of being formed concave or flat.
The touch hole is to be formed from the exterior into the breech in such
manner that the ignition may take place in a line with the centre of the
barrel, as will be readily understood.
This Invention may be applied to a rifled or unrifled fire-arm.
Figure 2, shows a side and end view of a projectile constructed accord-.
ing to my Invention suitable for receiving the charge of powder.
Figure 3, shows two sections of the projectile. Figure 4, shews the
covering paper to keep in the charge of powder which is to be perforated
with minute holes so that the powder will not pass; and yet, when the
projectile is rammed into a fire-arm, and comes in contact with the
interiorly projecting breech, it will be punctured freely. I would re-
mark, that it is not new to have the charge of powder within a hollow
projectile; I do not, therefore, claim the same simply by reason of its
being hollow and containing a charge of powder. Figure 5, shews
another projectile which is shorter than the previous one, and is not in-

page_text: tended to contain the charge of powder. Figure 6, shews the form of
tin plate or other thin metal which is preferred for making the thimble
a, on which the projectile is cast, but the thimble of hard metal may be
made from a disc. The thimble a, to be employed is raised by what are
called "drawing through tools," as is well understood in making like
forms for other purposes. Thimbles of hard metal being thus made,
they are to be introduced into a suitable mould according to the form
of the exterior shape intended to be given to the projectile, and the
melted metal is to be run in, and thus will be produced the part 6, of
the projectile. In using these projectiles, I prefer that the barrels of
the fire-arms should be rifled.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
first, the constructing fire-arms with the breeches projecting inwards as
above explained; and, secondly, I claim the constructing projectiles
with internal thimbles of hard metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walter de Longueville
Giffard, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-two.
JOHN WALTER (L.s.) DE LONGUEVILLE GIFFARD.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid John Walter de Longue-
ville Giffard came before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified in form above written; and also the Specifica-
tion aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the statute made
for that purpose.
Eurolled the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One