the expanding ball from a smooth bore wherein it was
useless, to a rifle wherein it is now proved to be invaluable, belongs,
as far as I can trace the application back, to Mr. Kell, A.D. 1829.

In 1830, Mr. Kell employed Mr. Greener, then a gunmaker at Newcastle, to
make him a mould for a double pea rifle, and he left in Mr. Greener's
hands one of the balls made for the Wogden pistol, and one of those made
by Mr. Bulcraig, to assist him in so doing. It appears that Mr. Greener
must have been satisfied with the success attending Mr. Kell's
application of the conical ball to a rifle, for some years after, in
August, 1836, he applied to the Ordnance for permission to have a trial
of the conical ball made; this was granted, and the experiment was
conducted under Major Walcott of the Royal Artillery, on the sands near
Tynemouth Castle, the firing party consisting of a company of the 60th
Rifles. Mr. Greener having failed to bring a target, to test the
superior penetrating power of his balls, the ordinary Artillery target
was used. Mr. Greener's ball had a conical plug of lead in the hollow,
for the purpose of producing the expansion when driven home by the force
of the powder. After firing several rounds at two hundred yards, only
one ball of Mr. Greener's, which had struck the target, was found to
have the plug driven home, the others had all lost their plugs. The same
effect was produced when firing into a sand-bank. A trial was then made
at 350 yards; the spherical balls and the conical balls both went home
to the target, but only one of the latter penetrated.

The objections pointed out to the conical ball were: the frequent loss
of the plug, by which its weight was diminished; the inconvenience of
having a hall composed of two separate parts; the difficulty of loading
if the plug was not placed accurately in the centre; and the danger of
the plug losing its place in consequence of being put in loosely,
especially when carried about for any length of time in a
cartridge.--Mr. Greener loaded the rifles during the trial with the ball
and powder separate, not in cartridge.--The advantage admitted was,
merely, rapidity of loading if the plug was fairly placed: no
superiority of range appears to have been produced over the rifles used
by the 60th Regiment. Mr. Greener solicited another trial, but after
the report of Major Walcott, the Select Committee considering the ball
"useless and chimerical," no further trial was accord