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Last week, at the New York State Arsenal, we were present during a series of experiments with the above fuse. It is a peculiar chemical composition, enclosed in a paper case and wrapped round with cotton, and for land service it is passed through tar to render it impervious to rain and the dampness of the ground, but for submarine purposes it is coated with gutta percha. It is of flat form, and in consequence not so liable to injury as the ordinary round miner's fuse. The fire passes through this fuse at the rate of one mile in four seconds ; and one of the experiments consisted in firing two guns, the one with a length of about fifteen feet of fuse, and the other with about two hundred feet, both lighted at once, and from our position on the steps of tho arsenal, each seemed to go off at the same moment. The fuse is inserted in the cartridge, and passes through the mouth of the gun to the hand of the gunner, so that an enemy spiking a gun does not render it any more unfit for service than it was before. One man can fire a battery of any number of ns at almost the same instant with this fuse, and it is without doubt a great and valuable addition towards that perfection of the art of war which shall ensure universal peace. This invention was recently tried with success at W-shington, under the personal direction ofthe Secretary of War.
