304 Dr. Cutbush on the Greek Fire. 
vessels. This passage, which I do not find quoted in any of the 
works that treat of the Greek fire, proves that the Greeks, 
in the beginning of the tenth century, were no longer the on- 
ly people acquainted with the art of preparing this fire, the 
precursor of our gunpowder. The emperor Leo, who about the 
same period wrote his Art of War, recommends such engines, 
with a metal covering, to be constructed in the fore parts of 
ships, and be twice afterwards mentions engines for throw- 
ing out Greek fire. In the east, one may easily have con- 
ceived the idea of loading some kind of pump with the 
Greek fire; as the use of a forcing pump for extinguishing 
fires was long known there before the invention of Callini- 
cus.” 
Writers differ considerably. as to the composition of the 
Greek fire, properly so called, as there were many prepara- 
tions some hundred years after the discovery, which went 
under that name. It is certain, however, that the Greeks 
had a knowledge of a very highly combustible preparation, 
which water could not extinguish, and which from its nature, 
(reasoning a priori,) must have had the property of decom- 
posing water itself; thereby furnishing a supporter of combus- 
tion sing so much oxygen as to support the com- 
bustion of the inflammable substances even in contact with 
water. Either one or other of these conclusions appears 
reasonable, if we admit that the composition actually burnt 
‘under water. Some writers are of opinion, that nitrate of 
potash was one of the ingredients; but of this we have no 
positive proof. Mr. Parkes (Chem. Catech. p. 465) speaking 
of some of the uses of saltpetre, remarks, that “it was used by 
the ancients in that destructive composition of antiquity, the 
Greek fire. Sulphur, resin, camphor, and other combusti- 
bles, were melted with it, and in this melted mass woollen 
cords were dipped, which were afterwards rolled up for use. 
These balls being set on fire were thrown into the tents, &c. 
of the enemy; and as the combustibles were furnished with 
a constant supply of oxygen from the nitre, nothing could 
extinguish them.” He also observes: “For many centu- 
ries the method of making this dreadful article of destruc- 
tion was lost; but it has just been diseovered by the libra- 
rian of the elector of avaria, who has found a very old 
latin manuscript which contains directions for preparing it.” 
Mr. Parkes is certainly in error when he says that the origin- 
