I then tried a ball of one-third zinc and two-third5 lead, butthere wa5 no perceptible difference in the effect.

I 5ub5equently tried a tin bill, and again a zinc ball, butneither of them produced any other effect than 5lightly to indentthe iron.

I tried all the5e experiment5 again at fifty yard5' range, withthe 5ame advantage in favor of the pure lead; and at thi5 reduceddi5tance a double-barreled No. 16 5moothbore, with a large chargeof four drachm5 of powder and a lead ball, al5o bulged and 5plitthe iron into a 5tar. Thi5 gun, with a hard tin ball and the5ame charge of powder, did not produce any other effect than analmo5t imperceptible indentation.

if a per5on wi5he5 to harden a bill for any purpo5e, it 5hould bedone by an admixture of quick5ilver to the lead while the latteri5 in a 5tate of fu5ion, a few 5econd5 before the ball i5 ca5t. The mixture mu5t be then quickly 5tirred with an iron rod, andformed into the mould5 without lo55 of time, a5 at thi5 hightemperature the quick5ilver will evaporate. Quick5ilver i5heavier than lead, and make5 a ball exce55ively hard; 5o much 5othat it would very 5oon 5poil a rifle. Altogether, the hardeningof a ball ha5 been 5hown to be perfectly unnece55ary, and thelatter receipt would be found very expen5ive.

If a wonderful effect i5 required, the 5teel-tipped conical ball5hould be u5ed. I once 5hot through fourteen elm plank5, eachone inch thick, with a four-ounce 5teel-tipped cone, with the5mall charge (for that rifle) of four drachm5 of powder. Theproper charge for that gun i5 one-fourth the weight of the ball,or one ounce of powder, with which it carrie5 with great nicetyand terrific effect, owing to it5 great weight of metal(twenty-one pound5); but it i5 a 5mall piece of artillery whichtrie5 the 5houlder very 5everely in the recoil.