394 Scientific Intelligence. (Nov. 
stand; but that it should have been put out by vinegar andiurine, and - 
not by water, as he also affirms, is impossible, as these were not,likely 
to have been procured in sufficient quantity, surely not in such abund-, , 
ance as water, and on no other principle could the one have acted bet-.. 
ter than the other.” VY 
“1 do not see,” continues Dr. M. “that any further light can be 
thrown on these varieties of the Greek fire. ‘The accounts seem to be 
confused and unintelligible, as far as they are so, partly by the igno- 
rance, and partly by the exaggeration, of the reporters. Abstracting 
these, it is probable that they were truly enough, as has been said,-resi- 
nous inflammable compounds, solid, tenacious, or liquid, without nitre, 
and exactly similar to the fires of our ancient fire-ships, before chemis- 
try had taught us to proceed on better principles.” 
** Joinville’s description will be found much more intelligible, and 
will, I think, fully prove the supposition that there were different 
things known by one name, and that the Greek fire used against Louis 
at Acre was neither the Chinese oil, nor any viscid substance, nor even 
the composition described by our celebrated female historian.” 
According to Joinville, the Greek fire was thrown from the walls of 
Acre by a machine, called a petrary, three times, and from a-cross- 
bow four times, in the course of the night. It is described as coming) 
forward * as large asa barrel of verjuice, with a tail issuing from it as 
big as a great sword ; making a noise in its passage like thunder, and 
seeming like a dragon flying through the air; while, from the great 
quantity of fire which it threw out, it gave such a light that one might: 
see in the camp as ifit had been day.” 
After an examination of this account, Dr. Mac Culloch ‘concludes,: 
that this was a firework of the rocket kind, ‘‘ 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 me- 
chanical and chemical artillery, by the balista, and by the petrary or 
mortar. 
*‘ If I'am thus right,” he continues, ‘ 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 surface 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.” 
As no further light can be thrown on this subject from the an- 
ciént authors, it is unnecessary to prolong this inquiry. The subject. 
seems to be cleared, at least, of much of its mystery; and that this. 
mystery has in great measure arisen from mistakes and exaggerations, 
must be very apparent. We may remain at. our ease on this head, 
and'be satisfied that we have lost nothing by our imaginary. loss, of, 
the Greek fire. We may still safely boast, that in whatever arts either 
the ‘Greeks or Arabs may have excelled us, in that of destroying 
each other we could have taught them much, and could have learne 
nothing from them, Divested of the mist which wonder and igno-, 
rancé have drawn round it, the boasted Greek fire seems to have been., 
