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h TREATMENT OF THE CEOLEBA…

£ 1 SHOP COLBNSO V. THE CHANCELLOR…

IA DESPERATE STRUGGLE WITH…

DEATH OF -A VETERINARY SURGEON…

---INTIMIDATION DURING A STRIKE.

A WOMAN KILLED BY HER PARAMOUR.

EXTENSIVE FRAUDS ON FOREIGNERS.

[No title]

THE" SOIENTIFIO REVIEW" ON…

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THE" SOIENTIFIO REVIEW" ON Til NON-EXPLOSIVE GUNPOWDER QUE' h; TION. Numerous experiments have been made for so5' vi time past with reference to the mode of renderii gunpowder inexplosivo devised by Mr. Gale, of Pi mouth: and all of them have bean attended with t' most complete success. Nevertheless, it is more tht aoubttul if the invention will be attended with an practical results. It can scarcely be said that the' principle is new, having been tried long since and1 abandoned on account of practical objections, which remain in full force. Mr. Gale uses pounded glass as the protecting powder. When an equal quantity of this is well mixed with gunpowder, or two parts of it with one part gunpowder, the latter goes off like a squib. When there are three parts pounded glass and one part gunpowder, there is combustion, but no explosion; but when there are four parts-pounded glass and one part gunpowder, there is not even com- bustion, except of individual grains; and a mass of unprotected gunpowder exploded in the midst of the protected has no effect on the latter, further than to scatter it about. There will be a much larger quantity of material to be carried, but this will be much more aorm by the diminution of rate, con- dangerous* oarried being no longer The etIioa.cyof this inveh.tiondependson the fact bv pnmhnaf?11 6 exPansioti of the gases produced tynitrn Wh o? 18 nocessary t0 §^e rise to that rapid !?If h Jil c £ *stitutes explosion dosing the inter- stices between the gPaina 0f gunp6v,der takes away the spaces required for expansion, and consequently diminishes the explosive power—isolating the grains destroys it. All this was known to Piobert, who tried experiments on the subject in 1835, and detailed their results in his Traite d'Artillerie." Researches on the subject are to be found also in the Cemptes Rendus, vols. x. and xxiii. Similar experiments were made likewise by M. Fadeieff, Professor of Chemistry at St. Petersburg, between 1840 and 1844. M. Piobert used pure sand, but found it absorbent of moisture, which will, most probably, be the case with the pounded glass used by Mr. Gale—especially as it gradually be- comes alkaline. Sand is gritty also, and might cause danger from friction; it would, besides, destroy the glazing of the powder, which would be injurious to it. The same objections hold with regard to glass. He found that it is not necessary that the protective powder should be non-combustible; even gunpowder in a state of minute division was suited in some de- gree for the purpose and each of the constituents of gunpowder answered well; but of all the substances he tried, he preferred a mixture of wood charcoal and graphite, as being totally free from any tendency to attract moisture. He never used more of the protect- ing powder than was sufficient merely to prevent the gunpowder from being dangerous. iQr- But all such contrivances are liable ejec- tions; and hence Mr. Gale's principle, 1 known for at least thirty years, has not com^ Sift- ing cannot remove all the protecting as will be evident if a white substance is used for the purpose. Some of the powder itself is rem@ved by the sifting, and thus the proteotin-g material, if used repeatedly, may it- self become dangerous. If a dark body is employed, if will not be easy, by inspection, ta distinguish between protected and unprotected powder. The protection may be destroyed by the spontaneous separation of the protecting material from the gunpowder, during carriage from one place to another. Cumbrous machinery- would bo required for mixture or separation on a large scale; it might not be easy to effect the latter with sufficient rapidity in cases of emergency, and both mixture and separation would necessarily be attended with considerable danger. Imperfect separa- tion of the protecting powder-and absolutel-Yi perfect separation of it is not possible-would impair, and sometimes perhaps to a serious degree, the explosive powder, which, especially at present, could not be tolerated. Non-protected might be fatally mistaken for protected gunpowder, or protected for non-pro- tectea-both,with highly injurious results.

.----A PEMALEBLUEBEAD.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN DUNDEE.

[No title]

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.