Dr. Cutbush on the Greek Fire. 307 
of it, such as its fire deseending, & i ible with 
the nature of things, and i sen exaggerated. 
We have some remarks of professor Beckman in relation 
to salt petre, which have also a bearing on the subject of the 
Greek fire. Speaking of salt-petre, Vol. II, p- 462 he says: 
Though it can be certainly proved, that the nitrum of the an- 
cients was alkaline salt, it is difficult to determine the time 
when our salt-petre was mer nar ormade known. — ny 
to the invention of gun ceniate aed the p rescrip- 
tions for the ie. Se of it. The oldest, and perhaps - 
very maul that all 1 recipes ‘in which salt-petre occurs are 
either forged or of modern invention. Of this kind are those 
which Scaliger, at least according to his own account, found 
nitro and sal petre. But it does not occur in — prescrip- 
tion of Marcus Gracus, and copied by Albertus Magnus, 
who died in 1280,” Beckman infers, that ‘he first certain 
mention of salt petre is in the oldest account of the prepa- 
ration of gun powder, which became known in the 13th 
century, about the same time that the Greek fire, of which 
there were many kinds, began to be lost. The work of 
Albertus Magnus, and the writings of Roger Bacon, who 
died in 1278, contain the oldest i rmation on penpeeder. 
Bat it is somewhat remarkable, that the manuseript preserv. 
ed in the electoral library at Munich, announced for publi. 
cation b Mr. Von ie contained, it is said, the true re- 
library at Gottingen by M. Laporte Dutheil, conserva- 
_teur des manuscrits de la bibliotheque.* He also adds, that 
it contains many recipes, with a few variations, as in Alber- 
* Liber ignium ad cooniiarendes host, ot: ee Greco ; on traite 
des feux propres a détruire les ennemis, composé par Marcus le Gr ‘Publié 
@apres deux = anuscrits te la bibliothoque siutlonidaal Paris three 
sheets in quar 
