the Force of Fired Gunpowder. 103 



I afterwards repeated the experiment with a simple 

 vent, made very narrow, and lined with gold to prevent 

 its being corroded by the acid vapour generated in the 

 combustion of the gunpowder; but this vent was found, 

 upon trial, to be as little able to withstand the amazing 

 force of the inflamed gunpowder as the others. It was so 

 much and so irregularly corroded by the explosion, in the 

 first experiment, as to be rendered quite unserviceable ; 

 and, what is still more extraordinary, the barrel itself, 

 notwithstanding its amazing strength, was blown out into 

 the form of a cask ; and though it was cracked, it was 

 not burst quite asunder, nor did it appear that any of 

 the generated elastic fluid had escaped through the crack. 

 The barrel in the state it was found after this experi- 

 ment is still in my possession. 



These unsuccessful attempts, and many others of a 

 similar nature, of which it is not necessary to give a 

 particular account, as they all tended to shew that the 

 force of fired gunpowder is in fact much greater than has 

 generally been imagined, instead of discouraging me 

 from pursuing these inquiries, served only to excite my 

 curiosity still more, and to stimulate me to further ex- 

 ertions. 



These researches did not by any means appear to me 

 as being merely speculative ; on the contrary, I con- 

 sidered the determination of the real force of the elastic 

 fluid generated in the combustion of gunpowder as a 

 matter of great importance. 



The use of gunpowder is become so extensive that 

 very important mechanical improvements can hardly fail 

 to result from any new discoveries relative to its force 

 and the law of its action. Most of the computations 

 that have hitherto been made relative to the action of 



