38 Dr. Mae Culloch on the 
more like the description of the stream of fire from a rocket ; 
while the noise like thunder, which attended its passage, agrees 
well with the latter machine, but not at all with a carcass, 
which only makes a gentle whistling as it passes through the 
air. Thus it may be supposed that it must have been a rocket; 
an opinion, perhaps, supported by the early knowledge, for- 
merly discussed, of this projectile, in India, whence, as.I have © 
already attempted to shew, the Arabians derived this invention, 
among much more of their knowledge. 
The only objection to this notion, is the fact of its having 
been projected from some machine, as just mentioned. But 
this may be obviated by supposing that it was a firework of this 
nature, without a bore, and therefore incapable of flying by its 
own recoil: in short, a huge squib. Such a firework as this 
would produce all the appearances described; the long tail of 
fire, the noise, and the light; and it would require a projectile 
force, which might have been given both by mechanical and 
chemical artillery, by the balista, and by the petrary or mortar. 
This opinion is further confirmed by the description of the 
rocket in Marcus Greecus, which seems also to have been a 
military firework. There are no directions for boring it: 
whereas, had that been practised, it was scarcely possible he 
should have omitted to mention it, minute as he is in all his 
description of the composition, and of the two cases, the “‘ vo- 
latile’ one and the “ tonitrum faciens.” Indeed, he positively 
directs the rocket-case to be completely filled and well rammed. 
It is scarcely necessary to say, that an unbored rocket cannot 
fly without a foreign projectile impulse. 
If I am thus right in supposing the Greek fire of Joinville to 
have been a rocket of this imperfect kind, it is easy to explain 
the resistance which it offered to any attempts to extinguish it. 
Water has no effect, because the blast from the orifice prevents 
it from entering; for the vinegar and urine, the good monk 
must be held responsible. It is pretty clear that his account of 
this property in the Greek fire has been derived from these very 
fireworks, and has, by the usual mistake, been assigned to the 
whole race. 
