500 



APPARATUS FOR 



source of the flame, and the nature of caloric in 

 general. 



1. 1 first directed my attention to such experiments 

 as I thought most satisfactory in proving the ap- 

 plication of the apparatus to the firing of ordnance 

 of every description ; and for this purpose the first 

 seven experiments have been selected. 



Experiment I. — A piece of flannel was put over 

 the bottom of a tube 15 inches long (see PI. XXIV. 

 fig. 1. B.), and immediately below, and close to it, 

 was tied two folds of paper, with a quantity of gun- 

 powder. Upon exploding a grain of the new ful- 

 minating powder at the top (A), the flame was for- 

 ced down the whole tube, and the gunpowder was 

 fired. When the gunpowder is wrapped in a single 

 piece of thin paper, it generally happens that the 

 flame forces through without firing it. When this 

 takes place, the whole or a part of the gunpowder is 

 scattered about, and the paper is rent asunder, with- 

 out any appearance of combustion. 



Experiment 2. — A piece of flannel, as in the 

 first experiment, was put at the bottom of a tube 

 15 inches long, and below this was tied another 

 piece of flannel, containing gunpowder. Upon ex- 

 ploding the fulminating powder at the top, the 

 flame pierced the flannel, and inflamed the gun- 

 powder. 



Both these experiments prove, that the flame of 

 the new fulminating powder can descend through 



