Life of Count Riimford. 109 



ored members of the Society, always attending its meet- 

 ings when he was in London. In order that he might 

 pursue his experiments on gunpowder with great guns, 

 he sought, and readily obtained, the most favorable 

 opportunity with extraordinary facilities for so doing. 

 In the Essay already quoted he thus refers to an occasion 

 which also enabled him to engage in sea-service : 



" During a cruise which I made, as a volunteer, in the Vic- 

 tory, with the British fleet, under the command of my late 

 worthy friend Sir Charles Hardy, in the year 1779, I had many 

 opportunities of attending to the firing of heavy cannon ; for 

 though we were not fortunate enough to come to a general 

 action with the enemy, as is well known, yet, as the men were 

 frequently exercised at the great guns and in firing at marks, 

 and as some of my friends in the fleet, then captains (since made 

 admirals), as the Honourable Keith Stewart, who commanded 

 the Berwick of 74 guns, Sir Charles Douglas, who com- 

 manded the Duke of 98 guns, and Admiral Macbride, who 

 was then captain of the Bienfaisant of 64 guns, were kind 

 enough, at my request, to make a number of experiments, and 

 particularly by firing a greater number of bullets at once from 

 their heavy guns than ever had been done before, and observing 

 the distances at which they fell in the sea, I had opportunities 

 of making several very interesting observations, which gave me 

 much new light relative to the action of fired gunpowder." 



He also made a study of the principles of naval 

 artillery, which he contributed as a chapter to Stal- 

 kartt's Treatise on Naval Architecture, published in 

 1781. He likewise devised a new code of marine 

 signals which has not been made public. The period 

 and the state of things in which he thus devoted his 

 genius to practical science were peculiarly suited to 

 procure him a full appreciation. 



The Annual Register, in its chronicle of promotions 



