DISCHARGING OF ORDNANCE. 



511 



Bthly, The fulminating powder employed, con- 

 taining an electric, which we were entitled to sus- 

 pect had been brought into rapid excitation by the 

 percussion. 



Such, then, being the corresponding appearances 

 of the electric fluid and the flame in question, a 

 number of experiments were tried, with the view of 

 either establishing or overturning this apparent 

 identity. As the results were all unfavourable to 

 the electric theory, I shall content myself with stat- 

 ing only three of them. 



Experiment 19. — A brass chain was fixed, so 

 as to unite the tube with the ground ; under this 

 arrangement, were the flame electric, it must have 

 been conveyed silently by means of the chain to 

 the ground ; but this did not take place : the flame 

 still continued to dart forward as formerly at each 

 discharge. 



Experiment 20. — When, again, a tube, 30 inches 

 in length, was attached to the apparatus, I found, 

 that the discharges of the fulminating powder did 

 not force the flame to the bottom of that tube. Now, 

 had this been the electric fluid, it should have pas- 

 sed along any length of tube with equal facility. 



Experiment 21. — A chain was attached to the 

 tube of the apparatus when its length was varied ; 

 and this chain was made to communicate with a 

 Leyden phial. After several trials, during each of 

 which repeated discharges of the fulminating powder 

 were made to pass into the tube, it was found, that 



