Experiments tipon Gunpowder. 8i 



the quantity Inflamed In each of the other experiments 

 will appear to have been as follows, viz. : — 



But there are many reasons to suppose that the dimi- 

 nution of the action of the powder upon the bullet 

 when It Is lighter Is not so much owing to the smallness 

 of the quantity of powder that takes fire in that case, 

 as to the vis inertia of the generated fluid. It is true 

 that a greater portion of the charge takes fire and burns 

 when the bullet Is heavy than when It is light, as I 

 found in the very experiments of which I am now speak- 

 ing; but then, the quantity of unfired powder in any 

 case was much too small to account for the apparent 

 diminution of the force when light bullets were made 

 use of. 



If the elastic fluid, in the action of which the force 

 of powder consists, were infinitely rare, or if its weight 

 bore no proportion to that of the powder that generated 

 it, and if the gross matter, or caput mortuum of the pow- 

 der, remained In the bottom of the bore after the explo- 

 sion, then, and upon no other supposition, would the 

 pressure upon the bullet be inversely as the space occu- 

 pied by the fluid ; but It Is evident that this can never 

 be the case. 



A curious subject for speculation here occurs : How 



VOL. I. 



