72 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
him, that finally he treed on a large oak, in the high woods 
north of Crooked Creek Swamp. Three of the company 
soon came within hearing of the dog, and made all possible 
speed to get in with him. On coming up they found the 
Bear sitting on a large limb of the tree, looking down at 
them, grinning and showing his long teeth, as though he 
bade them defiance. He did not appear to take any notice 
of the dog after the three men came up. Two of the men 
agreed to shoot him on the left side, with a view of reach- 
ing his heart. Each of them taking deliberate aim, they 
fired, and the third man, who had reserved his fire until 
the Bear had changed his position, fired also. The Bear 
let go his hold, and fell from the tree, a distance of about 
thirty feet. Notwithstanding the height from which he 
fell, he jumped upon his feet, and ran, with the dog fast to 
him, about a hundred yards. This was his final feat. There, 
after his noble breakfast of mutton, he fell, yielding to 
the more powerful influence of powder and ball. The 
remainder of the party kept coming in. A firing was kept 
up, so that all were soon there. Wagons were brought 
from different directions, and many persons round about, 
who heard the firing of the guns, assembled at the place. 
The body of Bruin was placed in one of the wagons, and 
the others followed in the rear. The company came into 
the neighbourhood of the Court House in military order, 
under the command of Captain Jonathan Hand. The Bear 
was taken to Mr. Nathaniel Holmes’ barn, and dressed. 
He measured seven feet in length, and old men in the 
place, who had seen Bears, said this was the largest one 
they had ever seen. 
COMPOSITION OF GUNPOWDER. 
Dr. Ure has analyzed various samples of Gunpowder, 
and the following are the results of his investigation: 
Waltham Abbey — nitre, 74.5; charcoal, 14.4; sulphur, 
10; water, 1.1. 
Hall, Dartford — nitre, 76.2; charcoal, 14.; sulphur, 
9.0; water, .5; loss, .3. 
Pigou & Wilkes — nitre, 77.4; charcoal, 13.5; sulphur, 
8.5; water, .6. 
Curtis & Harvey — nitre, 76.7; charcoal, 12.5; sulphur, 
9. ; water, 1.1 ; loss, .7. 
Battle Gunpowder — nitre, 77.; charcoal, 13.5; sulphur, 
. 8. ; water, . 8 ; loss, 7. 
“ The process,” observes Dr. Ure, “ most commonly 
practised in the analysis of Gunpowder, seems to be tolera- 
bly exact. The nitre is first separated by hot distilled 
water, evaporated and weighed. A minute loss of salts 
may be counted on from its known volatility, with boiling 
water. I have evaporated always on a steam bath. It is 
probable that a small proportion of the lighter and looser 
constituents of Gunpowder, the carbon, flies off in the ope- 
ration of corning and dusting. Hence analysis may show 
a small deficit of charcoal below the synthetic proportions 
originally mixed. The residuum of charcoal and sulphur 
left on the double filter paper, being well dried by the heat 
of ordinary steam, is estimated as usual by the difference of 
weights of the inner and outer papers. This residuum is 
cleared off into a platina capsule with a tooth brush, and 
digested in a dilute solution of potash at a boiling tempera- 
ture. Three parts of potash are fully sufficient to dissolve 
out one of the sulphur. When the above solution is 
thrown on a filter, and washed first with a very dilute so- 
lution of potash boiling hot, then with boiling water, and 
afterwards dried, the carbon will remain; the weight of 
which deducted from that of the Powder, will show the 
amount of sulphur.” 
“ If we acquire,” says Dr. Ure, “ how the maximum gas- 
eous volume is to be produced from the chemical reaction 
of the elements of nitre on charcoal and sulphur, we shall 
find it to be by the generation of carbonic oxide and sulphu- 
reous acid, with the disengagement of nitrogen. This will 
lead us to the following proportions of these constituents: 
1 prime equiv. of nitre 
1 do. sulphur 
3 do. charcoal 
102 
75.00 per cent. 
16 
11.77 
18 
13.23 
136 
100.00 
The (acid of the) nitre contains five primes of oxygen, of 
which three, combining with the three of charcoal, will 
furnish three of carbonic acid gas, while the remaining two 
will convert the one prime of sulphur into sulphureous 
acid gas. The single prime of nitrogen is, in this view, 
disengaged alone. 
The gaseous volume, on this supposition, evolved from 
136 grains of Gunpowder, equivalent in bulk to 75 grains 
of water, or three-tenths of a cubic inch, will be, at the 
atmospheric temperature as follows: 
Grains. 
Carbonic oxide, - 42 
Sulphurous acid - 32 
Nitrogen - - - 14 
Cubic inches. 
141.6 
47.2 
47.4 
Being an expansion of one volume into 787.3. But as the 
temperature of the gases at the instant of their combustive 
formation must be incanescent, this volume may be safely 
estimated at three times the above amount, or considerably 
upwards of two thousand times the bulk of the explosive 
solid.” — Phil. Mag. 
