374 



The American Ant^ler. 



salt, as that is a ji^rcat obstacle to the 

 production of good powder, of which 

 there is, in all saltpetre, a certain, and 

 often a considerable quantity; and, in 

 proportion as it is more or less freed 

 from this impurity so the powder will 

 be more or less liable to imbibe damp 

 air, and become proportionately moist 

 and weak. But when it is perfectly 

 freed from marine salt the powder will 

 suffer but little diminution of its 

 strength from being carelessly kept, or 

 even openly exposed to a moist atmos- 

 phere ; as what it might, by this means, 

 have lost, would be presently restored 

 by drying- it. Mr. Curtis told me, the 

 other da}-, that since the Indian trade 

 was thrown open, he had some difficulty 

 and much trouble in procuring good 

 saltpetre. 



Your powder should always be prop- 

 erly dried ; in order to do which, make 

 two or three plates very hot, before the 

 fire, and, first taking care to wipe them 

 well, lest any particle of cinder should 

 adhere to them, keep constantly shift- 

 ing the powder from the one to the 

 other, without allowing it to remain 

 sufficiently long on either to cool the 

 plate. The powder will then [be more 

 effectually aired, and more expeditiously 

 dried, than by the more common means 

 of using one plate, which the powder, 

 by laying on it, soon makes cold, and 

 therefore the plate requires to be two 

 or three times heated. Nothing pre- 

 serves the strength of powder better 

 than, after being dried, to put it into 

 canisters, securely corked from the air. 

 Beware of going anywhere near the fire 

 to dry powder on plates. Recollect 

 how a hot cinder will sometimes fly; 

 and therefore, to be on the sure side, 

 run with your hot plates out of the 

 room, and go where there is no fire. 

 As a still safer plan, too, I might name 



the use of common pewter water-plate 

 or dish ; by having recourse to which 

 there can be no risk of accident, except 

 that, through awkwardness, the powder 

 might be wetted, instead of dried. 

 This way of drying is much on the 

 same principal as that which is now in 

 general iise in powder works, viz. : by 

 means of steam passing through pipes 

 or other receptacles, by transfusion of 

 heat through those pipes or cases, from 

 which the air of the drying-room is 

 heated to as great a degree as is requi- 

 site for the purpose of drying the 

 powder. 



Good powder burns red in the pan, 

 will keep its strength for full two years, 

 or more, if made with due care and 

 attention to the principles before men- 

 tioned, and may be had from most of 

 the mills. 



With regard to the strength and other 

 good qualities of gunpowder, I shall, 

 instead of saying anything farther 

 recommend the epreuvette, or powder- 

 proof, whereby we can always be certain 

 of finding out the best; provided that 

 this machine is properly made, properly 

 used, and nicely cleaned after each fire. 

 I should observe, however, that the 

 little trifling things called powder- 

 proofs or powder tryers, which sell for 

 three or four shillings, are as likely to 

 mislead as to inform the person using 

 them. 



The proper "epreuvette" is very 

 correctly made ; the wheel on which 

 the gradations are marked is large, and 

 the spring strong ; consequently the 

 resistance to the force of the powder is 

 considerable. The stronger it is, the 

 better ; or, without the resistance is 

 strong, a correct proof cannot be 

 obtained ; because, if not sufficiently 

 strong to detain the powder in the 

 chamber long enough for all the parti- 



