AN ACCOUNT 



OF 



SOME EXPERIMENTS UPON GUNPOWDER, 



With occasional Observations and pi^actical Inferences, 

 to which ai^e added an Account of a new Method of 

 determining the Velocities of all Kinds of Military 

 Projectiles, and the Description of a very accurate 

 Eprouvette for Gztnpowder. 



THESE experiments were undertaken principally 

 with a view to determine the most advantageous 

 situation for the vent in fire-arms, and to measure the 

 velocities of bullets, and the recoil under various cir- 

 cumstances. I had hopes, also, of being able to find 

 out the velocity of the inflammation of gunpowder, 

 and to measure its force more accurately than had 

 hitherto been done. They were begun in the month 

 of July, in the year 1778, at Stoneland Lodge, a 

 country seat belonging to Lord George Germain ; and 

 I was assisted by the Reverend Mr. Bale, rector of 

 Withyham, who lives in the neighbourhood. 



The weather proved remarkably favourable for our 

 experiments, being settled and serene, so that the 

 course of them was never interrupted for a whole 

 day by rain or by any accident. The mercury in 

 the barometer stood, in general, pretty high, and the 

 temperature of the atmosphere was very equal and 



VOL. I. I 



