GUNPOWDER. 189 



best kind of gunpowder in England, France, Sweden, Poland, 

 and Italy. 



* 100 100 100 100 



" Several experiments have been made in France to ascertain 

 the exact proportions of the several ingredients which would 

 produce the strongest possible powder, and the result has been 

 in favour of 



Saltpetre . . 80/6. 



Charcoal . . 15 



Sulphur . . 5 



And from hence it appears that in a certain weight of saltpetre 

 the powder would produce the greatest effect when the weight 

 of the charcoal was to that of the sulphur as three to one. On 

 the other hand, experiments are produced from which it is to be 

 concluded that in a certain weight of saltpetre the best powder 

 is made when the sulphur is to the charcoal as two to one. From 

 these different accounts it seems as if the problem of determining 

 the very best possible proportion was not yet solved. 



" In drying gunpowder, after it is reduced into grains, there 

 are two things to be avoided, too much and too little heat. If 

 the heat is too great, a part of the sulphur will be driven off, 

 and thus the proportions of the ingredients being changed, the 

 goodness of the powder, so far as it depends upon that propor- 

 tion, will be injured. In order to see what quantity of |ulphur 

 might be separated by a degree of heat not sufficient to explode 

 it, I took," says Dr. Watson, "twenty-four grains of the pow- 



* These were said to be the proportions of government powder. 



