THE APPLICATION OF CHEMISTRY TO THE MILITARY ART. At the weekly meeting of the Polytechnic Associa tion of the Ameriwn Institute on Thursday evening Jan. 23d the chairman announced that the appointed subject for discussion was the application of chemistry to open the debate. Prof. SEELY—There seems to be a general misappre hension in the public mind in regard to what chemis the papers or hear in conversation the statement that if it were not for our humanity we could easily suffocate an army with noxious vapors or sprinkle them with destructive acids or burn them up with liquid fires. All of these notions are quite absurd. We employ the most destructive agencies with which we are acquainted. The greatest service that chem istry has ever done for the military art was the inven tion of gunpowder. It has more destructive power than any other substance known. Compare it for Instance with some of the acids the use of which in war has been suggested. If we throw sulphuric acid upon a person it will injure him. If a drop gete in the eye it will put the eye out. But it will not do as much damage as a shot of the same weight striking the eye. I would rather have ten grains of sulphuric acid thrown in my face than a shot weighing one grain. All this too is apart from the practical diffi culty of throwing a liquid to any distance. The art of war is the most perfect of all arts. It has received far more encouragement from governments than any other and the intelligence of all nations for thousands of years has been directed to its Improvement. To ments of science are called into requisition. Explo sive shells charged with the most suitable materials known have been carefully and thoroughly tested and are now stored in great numbers in our arsenals. We have heard some talk about filling shells with 'liquid fire' as it is called—a solution of phospho rus in bisulphide of carbon. It was said last week that this substance has been objected to from the fact that it produces sore
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