Experiments upon Gunpowder. 31 



particles are, the quicker they will take fire. Sailors 

 bruise the priming after they have put it to their guns, 

 as they find it very difficult, without this precaution, to 

 fire them off with a match ; and if those who are fond 

 of sporting would make use of a similar artifice, and 

 prime their pieces with meal-powder, they would miss 

 fire less often, — the springs of the lock might be made 

 more tender, and its size considerably reduced without 

 any risque, and, the violence of the blow of the flint and 

 steel in striking fire being lessened, the piece might be 

 fired with greater precision. 



Concluding from the results of the four experiments 

 mentioned above, as well as from the reasons just cited, 

 that the temperature of the piece has a considerable 

 effect upon the force of the powder, I afterwards took 

 care to bring the barrel to a proper degree of heat by 

 firing it once or oftener with powder, each time I re- 

 commenced the experiments after the piece had been 

 left to cool. 



Of the Manner in which Pieces acquire Heat in firing. 



I was much surprised upon taking hold of the barrel 

 immediately after the experiment No. 17, when it was 

 fired with 330 grains of powder without any bullet, to 

 find it so very hot that I could scarcely bear it in my 

 hand, evidently much hotter than I had ever observed it 

 before, notwithstanding the same charge of powder had 

 been made use of in the two preceding experiments, 

 and in both these experiments the piece was loaded with 

 a bullet, which, one would naturally imagine, by con- 

 fining the flame and prolonging the time of its action, 

 would heat the barrel much more than when it was fired 

 with powder alone. 



