[ los ] 



oz. dwts. grs. 

 Nitre, - - - I lo o 



Charcoal, - - -060 



Sulphur, - - - o 3 14 



You will obferve a deficiency in weight of 10 grains, probably 

 the confequence of fome defed in my procefs, which was, firft 

 to weigh the powder, next to feparate the nitre by folution, 

 evaporation and filtering; I then weighed the refiduum of char- 

 coal and fulphur combined ; and laftly, I fublimed the fulphur 

 by a degree of heat not fufficient to inflame the charcoal, which 

 when weighed compleated the operation, producing the aforefaid 

 refult ; but as M. Beaume, a French chymift, made a variety of 

 experiments to obtain a total feparation of the fulphur from the 

 charcoal, and was never able toeffedit, -j^ part remaining onited, 

 3 grains muft be dedudcd from the charcoal and added to the 

 fulphur to give the accurate proportion of the ingredients. This 

 powder was unufually large grained, not ftrong, but I believe very 

 durable ; it had been made many years when I got it, yet there 

 was no vifible fymptom of decay, the grain being hard, well 

 coloured, and though angular (which form commonly generatci 

 duft) it was even fi^ed, and in perfed prcfervation. 



I NEXT proceed to the moft eflcntial and raoft neglcded opera- 

 tion in manufaduring gun-powder, the combining and incor- 

 porating the ingredients. This, if poffible, fliould be performed 

 in clear dry weather ; a lowering fliy, and a humid atmofphere, 

 being found inimical to that thorough blending of the materials 

 which ought to precede their being worked in the mill. Stamp- 



P ing 



