44 Mechanical Philosoph/. [Chap. L 



ward the establishment of new and more just Jaws^ 

 till 1742, when Benjamin Robins, of Great Britain^ 

 published his New Principles of Gunnery, a very 

 able and interesting work. 



Mr, Robins certainly did more to improve the 

 science of military projectiles than any individual, 

 not to say than all other individuals, who had gone 

 before him. He made a great number of well-de- 

 vised and important experiments ; and, in the work 

 above-mentioned, left a lasting monument both of 

 genius and of labour. 



From the experiments detailed in this work, 

 which was published in 1742, it incontestably ap- 

 peared, that the resistance made by the air to pro- 

 jectiles which have a rapid motion, is much greater 

 than had been supposed by Newton and Huygens ; 

 that it is, indeed, so great, that the path described 

 by any shot whatever is very different from the 

 curve of a parabola^ and, consequently, that all 

 applications of that conic section to gunnery are 

 false and useless. Mr. Robins's experiments were 

 made with shot of one ounce weight only : it was, 

 therefore, much to be wished, that such persons as 

 had opportunity might repeat the same experi- 

 ments with balls of a larger size. Mr. Charles Hut- 

 ton, of the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, 

 performed this service to science. He even used 

 in his experiments balls from twenty to jifty 

 ounces weight. The result of these experiments 

 confirmed Mr. Robins's principles in the most am- 

 ple manner. 



Mr. Robins, however, in estimating the mecha- 

 nical force of Giinpoxoder, fell into an error, which 

 has been since corrected by the acute and perse- 



