J.S. Tozer1 to Faraday2   30 December 1846

30th Decr. 1846

Sir,

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 29th and send the fuzes which you require[.]

The wood fuzes driven with meal powder are not used in the Service now, as it is found that those driven with fuze composition answers every purpose by boring out a portion of the compn for short ranges.

The only fuzes now driven with meal powder, are the brass fuzes for Sea Service; these have been introduced as being less liable to deterioration by change of climate, damp &c, and much safer as the the [sic] cap is never removed until the shell is placed in the muzzle of the gun.

I have sent 6 driven with meal powder

1 driven with pure compn

and 1 Brass driven with meal powder. The fuzes driven with meal powder burn 2 1/2 seconds for every inch of compn, those sent being 3 inches long will burn 7 1/2 seconds[.]

The brass fuze 4 inches long will burn 10 seconds.

The 3 inch fuze driven with fuze compn will burn 15 seconds.

I have Mr. Caffin's3 sanction to send them and I shall be most happy to give you all the information in my power.

With the compliments of | season I remain your Obedient Servant | J.S. Tozer

1
An official of the Royal Laboratory, Woolwich. See Butler to Faraday, 3 March 1852, IEE MS SC 2.
2
Recipient established on the basis of provenance and that Faraday was doing work for the Ordnance Office during these years. See letter 1921 and the Register of Ordnance Office in-letters, PRO WO45/247 which notes letters from Faraday on 13, 15 and 27 May 1847.
3
William Caffin. Store Keeper at the Royal Laboratory, Woolwich. Imperial Calendar.

Please cite as “Faraday1943,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 2 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday1943