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or pellets, is a disc of about the size of a sixpence, with a depth of half-aninch. Subsequently 'pebble' powder was introduced in 1869. In this powder the grains are more irregular in form, more compressed, and therefore of higher density. They resemble black pebbles of about half-an-inch in diameter, or of about the size of a common marble. The powder used in the experiments with the 81-ton gun has been angular in outline, and has varied in size from 2-inch cubes to 14-inch cubes. The black powder for rifled portable arms is of a size to be retained on a sieve having 20 meshes to the inch, and to pass through one having 12 meshes. The glazing of the grains of fine powder is produced by their being rubbed against each other in machines made for this purpose; the glazing of some of the large grain powder is assisted by the addition of plumbago.

Force exerted by exploded gunpowder, note 4, p. 8.

Bunsen and Schischkoff, experimenting upon one gramme (15.43 grains) of sporting powder, determined the amount of heat due to the actual combustion of the powder to be 619.5° C. (1115° F.), and calculated the temperature of the flame produced by the combustion to be 2993° C. (5419° F.). They also estimated the maximum pressure exerted by the gases at the first instant of evolution on the inner surface of the gun and on the projectile at 4374 atmospheres.-Quoted from Pogg. Ann., c. ii. 321; Wagner's Jahresb. 1857, p. 131; 1858, p. 158. Art. 'Gunpowder' in Watts' 'Dictionary of Chemistry,' 1864.

Fulminating powder, note 5, p. 8.

The composition for the percussion caps used with English rifles contains fulminate of mercury, 4 parts; chlorate of potash, 6 parts; ground glass, 2 parts; the last being used to cause more friction among the particles. Sulphide of antimony is added in some compositions of a similar kind.

Gun-cotton, note 6, p. 9.

Army Circular, October 1870, Cl. 170.

Bombard, note 7, p. 16.

The word 'bombard' is not now in use as a substantive, though it is still retained as a verb, and in the artilleryman's title of 'bombardier.' The sound resulting from the discharge of the gun led to the origin of the name; 'bombus,' or 'bombardus,' being Latin for the blast of a trumpet.

Early use of guns, note 8, p. 16.

'It is affirmed that in this memorable battle' (battle of Crécy or Cressy, fought on August the 26th, 1346) the English began for the first time to use cannon, a thing yet unheard of in France. Four pieces, planted on a little hill, did great execution among the French troops, and struck them with such terror, that the success of this day is partly ascribed to the surprise of the French at this novelty.'-Rapin, translated by N. Tindal, 2nd edition, vol. i. p. 425.

Size of early guns, note 9, p. 16.

The size to which iron bombards were cast is shown by an accident which occurred in the year 1478. In this instance the projectile fired from the gun weighed 5 cwt.; and as the maker of the gun and a number of other persons were lowering a second projectile, the gunpowder suddenly exploded, casting out the ball, and at the same time bursting the piece. Sixteen persons are said to have been killed by the ball itself, and six others by fragments of the gun.

Projectile power attained in gunnery, note 10, p. 17.

See a lecture by Major Barker, R.A., in vol. 34 of the Journal of the Royal U.S. Institution, 1890, p. 257. The lecture is accompanied by a sketch of the trajectory of the shot alluded to in the text. The path of the projectile is contrasted with the height of Mont Blanc in the illustration, having risen to a height of 5482 feet above that of the mountain.

Round shots or cannon balls, note 11, p. 18.

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Balls, from Báλλw, to cast. Curiously, the terms in France for cannon balls and musket bullets are the reverse of the corresponding terms in English. Boulets, the diminutive of boule or balle, is used for cannon balls or gunshot; balles, for musket or pistol bullets.

Bolts, note 12, p. 18.

A very old designation of cannon-shot, used as early as the year 1413. It had been previously employed for arrows shot from cross-bows, and had the same derivation as the term 'ball.'

Shells, note 13, p. 21.

During the Franco-German war the Prussian field artillery consisted chiefly of breech-loaders, the French of muzzle-loaders. It has been asserted that the former had not only the military advantages of superior range and precision, but also that the shells used with them broke into a considerably greater number of fragments.

Artillery matériel, note 14, p. 24.

For the latest information on this subject, see "Treatise on Ammunition,' 5th edition, corrected to March 1892; Lond., Harrison & Sons, 8vo, p. 582.

War-rocket composition, note 15, p. 29.

The composition contains the same ingredients as gunpowder, but they differ in their proportions. The proportions are salt petre 64.75, sulphur 14.75, and alder charcoal 20.50 per cent. The charge is forced into the rocket under enormous pressure.

Fire of a Maxim automatic gun, note 16, p. 33.

The account given in the text is quoted from a report of the proceedings published in the Times newspaper.

Arquebus, note 17, p. 35.

The derivation usually given is arc-à-bouche, i.e., bow with a mouth. That given by Ambrose Paré in the preface to the book Des Playes faites par Harquebuses, in the second edition of his complete works, published in 1579, is probably the correct derivation. His remarks translated are: 'Harquebuse is a word taken from the Italians, because of the touch-hole by means of which the fire from the pan passes forward into the barrel of the gun, for the Italians call a hole buzio; and it is called arc, because it is now used as arcs (bows) were formerly used in war, the archers being then advanced in front, as the Harquebusiers now are, in battle.' In Latin works of the period the term archibusum was used; thus the title of the book published by Alfonsus Ferrius, at Rome, in 1552, was De Sclopetorum, sive Archibusorum, Vulneribus.

Stone bullets, note 18, 1
p. 36.

In Gale's first chapter, which contains arguments apparently borrowed from Ambrose Paré against the prevailing notion of gunshot wounds being poisoned wounds, he does not refer to the effects of leaden shot being lodged in wounds, which he would probably have done had they been in common use. To prove that the shot does not become so hot during its flight as to form an eschar, or to burn the part wounded, he puts forth the following experiment - Hange a bagge full of gonnepouder on a place convenient, and then stand so far off as your peece will shote leavell, and shute at the same, and you shall see the gonnepouder to bee no moore set on fyre with the heate of the stone, than if you caste a colde stone at it.' He makes only one allusion to a 'pellet of leade,' which he took out from a soldier who had been shot some time before at the siege of Pavia.

Pellet, note 19, p. 36.

This was one of the original names for a bullet, and was derived from the Latin pila, a ball. Gale in his treatises uses the words 'shotte' and 'pellets' indifferently: I have not met with the term 'bullet' in his writings. It is curious to observe how completely its use has disappeared in respect to leaden bullets, though boys still speak of the pellets of popguns. The pharmaceutical word 'pill' is evidently another form of the same term; as 'bolus' also appears to be an Anglicism of the Greek Bóλos, a ball or shot.

Fusiliers, note 20,
p. 36.

The three Fusilier regiments raised at this time were the 21st Fusiliers in 1670, the 7th Fusiliers in 1685, and the 23rd Fusiliers in 1688. The French word fusil seems to have been taken from the Italian focile, which means the piece of steel employed for striking flint and producing fire; as this, again, was derived from the Latin foculus, diminutive of focus, a fire-hearth.

Leaden bullets, note 21, p. 37.

Colonel Anderson, Superintendent of Machinery to the War Department, informed me that spherical bullets were first made by compression in the year 1840. Mr. David Napier was the inventor of the machine, and it was in use in the Royal Arsenal until about 1855. The lead was cast into rods about five feet long; these were held by hand to the compressing machine, and the projecting rim or 'frill,' formed at the junction of the dies, was afterwards removed by hand also. Elongated bullets were first made by compression in 1851. The lead was now squirted while solid into a long rod, and this was wound upon a reel like a rope. The end of this leaden rod was then given to a self-acting machine, which delivered the bullets complete without the need of any handling.

Foot-pounds, note 22, p. 44.

The term 'foot-pound' is used for the force required to raise a pound weight one foot from the ground, or, in other words, the force with which a pound weight falls to the ground by gravity from a height of one foot.

Maillechort, note 23, p. 51.

An alloy of zinc, nickel, and copper. The alloy called 'German silver' in England consists of the same three constituent metals, but their proportions are probably different in the two alloys.

Bullet of the Roumanian rifle, note 24, p. 51.

It consists of a core of hardened lead (pure lead 96 per cent., antimony 4 per cent.) pressed into a steel envelope, is ferruled, and covered with maillechort. See Etudes Expérimentales sur l'Action du Projectile Cuirassé du Fusil Mannlicher, nouveau modèle Roumain. de 65 mm., par le Dr. Demosthen, Méd. de corps d'armée, Bucarest, 4to, 1894.

Rifles of 65 mm. calibre, note 25, p. 52.

A rifle of this calibre (0-2559 in.) is reported to be under consideration for adoption in the Netherlands army.

Weight of Chassepôt bullet, note 26, p. 53.

The weights really varied between 375 and 398 grains. One specimen, in the Military Surgical Museum at Netley, weighs 398 grains, another 396 grains, while several taken from cartridges during the Franco-German war weigh only 375 grains. A considerable collection of the rifle bullets used on both sides during the Franco-German war and extracted from wounds, may be seen in cases 582, 582g, 588a, and 588b in the Museum of Military Surgery at Netley.

Note 27, p. 54.

Gurlt, Military Surgery Fragments,' 1864.

Ashanti war, note 28, p. 58.

Army Medical Reports, vol. xv. p. 258. The troops left the Gold Coast in February 1874. The deaths enumerated are up to the 31st of May 1874.

Linked bullets, note 29, p. 60.

Specimens of linked bullets (case 579b, 632, &c.), and of many other unusual forms of projectiles, are preserved in the Museum of Military Surgery at Netley.

Treaty regarding explosive bullets, note 30, p. 62.

The following is the text of the convention of St. Petersburg relative to these projectiles. Its date is the 16th of November 1868.

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Considering that the progress of civilisation ought to have the effect of lessening as much as possible the calamities of war;

'That the only legitimate object that States ought to propose to themselves during war is to weaken the military strength of their enemies;

'That, for this purpose, it is sufficient to put hors-de-combat the greatest number of men possible;

'That this end would be overpassed by the employment of arms which would uselessly aggravate the wounds of men placed hors-de-combat, or that would render their death inevitable;

'That the employment of such arms would be consequently contrary to the laws of humanity;

"The undersigned, having received the orders of their Governments in this respect, are authorised to declare as follows:

§ 1. The contracting Powers mutually bind themselves to renounce, in case of war among themselves, the employment by their land or sea forces of all projectiles charged with explosive or inflammable matters, of a less weight than 400 grammes.

§ 2. They will invite all the States which have not sent delegates to the military international commission at St. Petersburg, to accede to the present engagement.

§ 3. This engagement is only obligatory upon the contracting or acceding parties, in case of war between two or more of themselves; it is not binding in regard to parties who have not joined the convention.

'§ 4. It will equally cease to be obligatory from the moment when, in a war between Powers which have joined the convention, another Power not a party to the convention shall join one of the belligerents.

$5. The contracting and acceding parties will come to a further understanding among themselves, every time that a precise proposition shall be made on the subject, as regards future improvements that science may make in the arms of troops, so that the principles which they have laid down for reconciling the necessities of war with the laws of humanity may be maintained.'

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Refer to the Times of the 9th of December 1868, the Pall Mall Budget, and other newspapers about the same date.

Explosive bullets, note 32, p. 63.

Specimens of the Metford, and a collection of other explosive rifle bullets, are preserved in the Museum of Military Surgery at Netley, in case No.

591.

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