304 Dr. Cuthush on the Greek Fire, 



vessels. This passage, which I do not find quoted in any of the 

 works that treat of the Greek fire, proves that the Greeks, 

 in the beginning of the tenth century, were no longer the on- 

 ly people acquainted with the art of preparing this fire, the 

 precursor of our gunpozoder. The emperor Leo, who about the 

 same period wrote his Art of War, recommends such engines, 

 with a metal covering, to be constructed in the fore parts of 

 ships, and he twice afterwards mentions engines for throw- 

 ing out Greek fire. In the east, one may easily have con- 

 ceived the idea of loading some kind of pump with the 

 Greek fire; as the use of a forcing pump for extinguishing 

 fires was long known there before the invention of Callini- 

 cus.'' 



Writers differ considerably as to the composition of the 

 Greek fire, properly so called, as there were many prepara- 

 tions some hundred years after the discovery, which went 

 under that name. It is certain, however, that the Greeks 

 had a knowledge of a very highly combustible preparation, 

 which water could not extinguish, and which from its nature, 

 (reasoning a priori,) must have had the property of decom- 

 posing water itseli; thereby furnishing a supporter of combus- 

 tion, or possessing so much oxygea as to support the com- 

 bustion of the inflammable substances even in contact with 

 water. Either one or other of these conclusions appears 

 reasonable, if we admit that the composition actually burnt 

 under water. Some writers are of opinion, that nitrate of 

 potash was one of the ingredients; but of this we have no 

 positive proof. Mr. Parkes (Chem. Catech. p. 465) speaking 

 of some of the uses of saltpetre, remarks, that " it was used by 

 the ancients in that destructive composition of antiquity, the 

 Greek fire. Sulphur, resin, camphor, and other combusti- 

 bles, were melted with it, and in this melted mass woollen 

 cords were dipped, which were afterwards rolled up for use. 

 These bulls being set on fire were thrown into the tents, he. 

 of the enemy; and as the combustibles were furnished with 

 a constant supply of oxygen from the nitre, nothing could 

 extinguish them." He also observes : "For many centu- 

 ries the method of making this dreadful article of destruc- 

 tion was lost; but it has just been discovered by the libra- 

 rian of the elector of Bavaria, who has found a very old 

 latin manuscript which contains directions for preparing it.'* 

 Mr. Parkes is certainly in error when he says that the origin 



