Iiiipm<imi)iis hi Fii-e-Armt, W<:> 517 



When very fmall ones were ufed fingly, they were commonly confumed entirely before 

 tliey came out of the barrel of the piflol ; but when feveral of them were ufed together, 

 fome, if not all of them, were commonly projefted into the stmofphere on fire. 



As the flownefs of the combuftion of gunpowder is undoubtedly the caufe which lias 

 prevented its enormous and almott incredible force from being difcovered, our aut^ior de- 

 duces, as an evident confequjnce, that the readied way to increafe its elFeils, is to contrive 

 matters fo as to accelerate its inflammation and combuftion. This may be done in various 

 ways ; but, in his opinion, the moft fimple and moft effeftual manner of doing it would be 

 to fet fire to the charge of powder, by (liooting (through a fmall opening) the flame of a 

 /mailer charge into the niidft of it. 



He contrived an infaument on this principle for firing cannon three or four years ago, 

 and it was found, on repealed trials, to be ufeful, convenient in praiilicc, and not liable to 

 accidents. It likewife fuperfedes the neceffity of ufing priming, of vent-tubes, port-fires, 

 and matches ; and on that account he imagined it might be of ufe in the Britifli navy. 

 Whether it has been found to be fo or not he has not yet heard. 



Another infallible method of increafing very confiderably the effecl of gunpowder in fire- 

 arms of all forts and dimenfions, would be to caufe the bullet to fit the bore exaftly, or 

 without windage, in that part of the bore at lead where the bullet refts on the charge ; for, 

 when the bullet does not completely clofe the opening of the chamber, not only much of the 

 elaftic fluid, generated in the firfl moment of the combuRion of the charge, efcapes by the 

 fide of the bullet; but, what is of flill greater importance, a confiderable jart of the un- 

 confumed powder is blown out of the chamber along with it in a ftate of aflual combuftion, 

 and, getting before the bullet, continues to burn on as it pafles through the whole length of 

 the bore ; by which the motion of the bullet is much impeded. 



The lofs of force which arlfcs from this caufe, is in fome cafes almoll incredible ; and it 

 b by no means difficult to contrive matters fo as to render it very apparent, and alfo to pre- 

 vent it. 



If a common horfe-piflol be fired with a loofe ball, and fo fmall a charge of powder that 

 the ball fhall not be able to penetrate a deal board fo deep as to flick in it when fired againll 

 it from the diftance of fix feet; the fame ball, difcharged from the fame piftol with the 

 fame charge of powder, may be made to pafs q,uite through one deal board, and bury itfclf 

 in a fecond placed behind it, merely by preventing the lofs of force which arifes from what is 

 called windage, as he found more than once by aftnal experiment. 



He has in his poflefrion a muficet, from which, with a common mullcct charge of powder, 

 he fires two bullets at once with the fame velocity that a fingle bullet is difcharged from a 

 rriufket on the common conflrudion with the fame quantity of powder. And, what ren- 

 dcrs the experiment Hill more ftriking, the diameter of the bore of his mufkct is exadly tiic 

 fame as that of a common muficet, except only in that part of it where it joins the chamber, 

 in which part it is juft. fo much contracted, that the bullet, which is next to the powder, 

 may (lick faft in it. He adds, that though tiie bullets are of the common fizC, and arc confe- 

 quently confiderably Icfs in diameter than the bore, means are ufed which efleiflually prevent 

 tlic lofs of force by windage; and to this laft circumftance, he concludes, it is doubtlcfs owing, 

 iu a great nicafutc,tliat the charge appears to exert fo great a force in propelling the bullets. 

 I Tliati 



