le's powder
invented for use in the Lebel rifle, and which consisted of a mixture of
the nitro-celluloses with paraffin.

~Von Foster's Powder~ contains nothing but pure gelatinised nitro-
cellulose, together with a small quantity of carbonate of lime.

The German ~Troisdorf Powder~ is a mixture of gelatinised nitro-cellulose,
with or without nitrates.

~Maximite~ is the invention of Mr Hudson Maxim, and is a nitro-compound,
the base being gun-cotton. The exact composition and method of manufacture
are, however, kept secret. It is made by the Columbia Powder Manufacturing
Company, of New York, and in two forms--one for use as a smokeless rifle
powder, and the other for blasting purposes.

~Wetteren Powder.~--This powder was manufactured at the Royal Gunpowder
Factory at Wetteren, and used in the Belgian service. Originally it was a
mixture of nitro-glycerine and nitro-cellulose, with amyl acetate as
solvent. Its composition has, however, been altered from time to time. One
variety consists chiefly of nitro-cellulose, with amyl acetate as solvent.
It is of a dark brown colour, and of the consistency of indiarubber. It is
rolled into sheets and finally granulated.

~Henrite~ is a nitro-cellulose powder.

~Normal Powder.~--The Swedish powder known as "Normal" Smokeless Powder,
and manufactured by the Swedish Powder Manufacturing Company, of
Landskrona, Sweden, and used for some years past in the Swiss Army, is
made in four forms. For field guns of 8.4 calibre, it is used in the form
of cylindrical grains of a yellow colour, of a diameter of .8 to .9 mm.
and density of .790--about 840 grains of it go to one gun. For rifles, it
is used in the form of grey squares, density .750, and 1 grm. equals about
1,014 grains. One hundred rounds of this powder, fired in eighteen
minutes, raised the temperature of the gun barrel 284 deg. F. A nitro-
glycerine powder, fired under the same conditions, gave a temperature of
464 deg. F.

This powder is said to keep well--a sample kept 3-1/2 years gave as good
results as when first made--is easy to make, very stable, ignites easily,
not very sensitive to shock or friction, is very light, &c. Eight hundred
rounds fired from a heavy gun produced no injury to the interior of the
weapon. Samples kept for eleven months in the moist atmosphere of a
cellar, when fired gave a muzzle velocity of 1,450 ft. secs. and pressure
of 1,312 atmospheres, and the moisture was found to have risen from 1.2