176 GUNPOWDER. 



arrows : sea water, instead of quenching, seemed to give it new 

 violence and activity. 



Both parties used the Greek fire at the siege of Acre, A. D. 

 1190, and Father Daniel says, "this wild fire was not only 

 used in sieges, but even in battles^ and that Philip Augustus, 

 king of France, having found a quantity of it prepared in Acre, 

 brought it with him to France, and employed it at the siege of 

 Dieppe, for burning the English vessels in that harbour. At 

 several other sieges in France, it was also used ; and an en- 

 gineer, named Gaubert, a native of Mante, acquired the art of 

 making it, which luckily for mankind, has been since lost." A 

 composition something of the same nature was some years since 

 invented by a chymist in this country, and who has an annual 

 allowance so long as it shall remain a secret ; our government 

 being unwilling to increase the destruction and cruelty of war : 

 a like discovery was made formerly in France or Holland, and 

 for the like reason suppressed. It was supposed that this was 

 what Earl Stanhope referred to, when he said in the House of 

 Lords, "that the French were not only in possession of a secret 

 respecting this unquenchable fire, but meant to practise it 

 against our navy to its certain destruction/' Notwithstanding 

 they do not appear to be fond of coming close enough to our 

 fire of common gunpowder, to enable them to apply any of this 

 supposed more destructive material. 



Greek Jlre was used long after the introduction of fire arms, 

 particularly in sieges. When the Bishop of Norwich, besieged 

 Ypres, A. D. 1383, the garrison is said, by Walsingham, to 

 have defended themselves so well with stones, arrows, lances, 

 Greek fire, and certain engines called guns, that they obliged 

 the English to raise the siege with such precipitation, that they 

 left behind them their great guns, which were of inestimable 

 value. A great part of that army was soon after besieged in the 

 town of Burburgh by the French, who threw such quantities of 



