il8 Dr. Cuibush on ike Chinese Fire, <^c. 



tions promise to invest all our national concerns. At any 

 period of the history of British industry, they nnnst have 

 excited the highest expectations ; but, originating as they 

 have done, when our commerce, our manufactures, and our 

 agriculture, the three stars of our national prosperity, have 

 just passed the lowest point of their orbit, and quitted, we 

 trust for long, the scene of their disturbing forces, we can- 

 not but hail them with the liveliest enthusiasm, and regard 

 them as contributing to insure the pre-eminence of our in- 

 dustry, to augment the wealth and resources of the nation, 

 and, by givir-g employment to idle hands, and direction to 

 idle minds, to secure the integrity and the permanence of 

 our national institutions.* 



Art. XVI. — Remarks on the composition and properties of 

 the Chinese fire, and on the so called Brilliant fires : 

 by James Cutbush, A. S. U. S. A. acting Professor 

 of Chemistry and Mineralogy, U. S. Military Academy. 



In pyrotechny a variety of compositions are employed 

 for the purpose of giving particular appearances to flame, 

 and to accelerate as well as retard, according to circum- 

 stances, the combustion of pyro-preparations. The im- 

 provement in fire works depends altogether on this princi- 

 ple, viz. to vary as much as possible, with the greatest 

 number of colours, the flame produced by the combustion 

 of gun powder, or of charcoal, he. in contact with nitrate 

 of potash. Hence we find, that sundry saline and other 

 substances are used for that purpose. By the presence or 

 absence of particular substances, certain fires, so called, are 

 designated. The name also is made to correspond, either 

 with that of the inventor, the composition made use of, the 

 appearance of the flame, or some remarkable property 



* It is due to the truth and candor of philosophical history to mention, 

 that Mr. Perkins is not our countryman ; but the age of jealousy against 

 America has happily gone past, and we hail, with sincere pleasure, any cir- 

 cumstance which contributes to the scientific renown of our great descend- 

 ants, and companions in freedom and mtelligence.t 



tWe cannot but respond to the generous sentiments of the Scottish Ed- 

 itor, and we trust that in freedom and intelligence we shall henceforth be 

 indeed companions. — Ed. iBmer, Jour. 



