can eafily confume, the fire will ye — active than it" 
pe be, becaufe it isnot augmente uch as it would 
be ifa near quantity of falt-petre had take added t as 
» Hence at appears, that the goodnefs of powder is not te be 
elimated only from the quantity of —— contained. in 
it; egeipek that fubitance feems to be the bafis of the elattic 
fluid, i in which its force confits: for fince ha ‘converting of 
the falt-petre into that fluid, and the elaiticity of the fluid, 
shienardai: depend in fome meafure on the violence of the 
o -oduced at the explotion, i it is plain that there is a cer- 
tam proportion in the mixture of the materials, which will 
belt. contribute to this — and abies to the 
ion of the powder 
What this proportion is, has been afcertained by. expe- 
rience 5 and it feems to be ‘generally spo a in any 
quantity of cutidees 4 three-fourths of t fhould 
e 
~ 
and cha ‘his is the proportion followed by 
the French, and by mott nations in Europe: we, indeed, 
pretend to a greater depree of nicety in our proportions ; 
though, it is faid, ‘they. do not greatly: differ from: what 13 
bere ‘mentioned ; no 
‘ufual - proportion, are nothing inferior to 
Slivbhfe not-tke due-proportion. of the materials only 
which | ‘neceflary to the —— of good po owder ; another 
ance, not lefs effential, is the mixing of them well 
together ; 3 if this be not effectually done, fome parts of the 
‘ompolition will have t juch falt-petre in them, an 
: aio either cafe theres will: be: a ol of 
2 
ina very fati y Mr. ae of the or 
— powde: mills of Waltham Abbeys i in the gth velnme.of the 
* 
GUNPOWDER 
The idedemeate is a light wi 
roof, {i ts 
fly off without Ity, and in the leaft injurious 
direction. per sag Hg which were formerly ufed, have 
een mottly fet afide in our prefent manufaétures, on account 
of the danger of sivleclinting, and the accidents attending 
it; and the bufinefs is now performed by two flones placed 
vertically, and running on a bed-ftone, or trough, bout 
unds of the mixed mafs are laid upon this 
bed-ttone, ee moiftene with water fufficient 
it, in the procefs of nding, to a confiftence confiderably 
ftiffer than patte; oct re or nn ee to be t 
eligible. "I'he mills are worked & 
focale very tee ae tally epic The fine wae” 
factored at Battle, in Suffex, i is fill worked in large mortars, 
or itamping-mills, with heavy peltles of lignum vite ; 
but only a ” few pounds of the mafs are wrought at a time. 
The next operation is that of Corning,” or graini for 
which purpofe it is fent to the “ @orning-houfe.”” ad this 
operation, which, - aeae ‘is not effential to the ee: 
ture of perfect ; Airy and 1s only perforn n 
count of the ecipoedenets of ufing it in grains rath te pile 
fine duft, the iff pafle is firft prefted i into hard lumps, “and 
thefe are put into circular fieves with parchment bottoms, 
perforated with holes of different ito and fixed in a frame 
co d with a horizontal w Each of thefe ihe is 
alfo furnifhed with a “runner,” SeGblate i of lig 
‘manu. 
vite, —_— fet in motion by the a¢t 
f{queezesthe pafte th tens he Metronet om, 
— grains otediliovent fizes. te orl are then forted 
and feparated from the duit re oem) od 
fone: 2 ‘The | ins are “i a; 
icc a. wankakaek? oe 
receive a flight glofs or corgi Tn rat eatin inuch dui 
rie ont from the 
