Mr. Thompson’s Experiments 
324 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS. 
Of fome unfuccefsfal Attempts to lucre afe the force of gun-powder . 
It has been fuppofed by many, that the force of fleam is 
even greater than that of gun- powder ; and that if a quantity 
of water, confined in the chamber of a gun, could at once be 
ratified into fleam, it would impel a bullet with prodigious ve- 
locity. Several attempts have been made to fhoot bullets in this 
manner ; but I know of none that have fucceeded ; at leaf! fo 
far as to render it probable that water can ever be fubflituted in 
the room of gun-powder for military purpofes, as fome have 
imagined. 
The great difficulty that attends making thefe experiments 
lies in finding out a method by which the wafer can at once be 
ratified, gnd converted into elaflic fleam; and it occurred to 
me, that poffibly that might be effected by means of gun-pow- 
der, by confining a fmall quantity of water in fome very thin 
fubflance, and furrounding and inclofing it with powder, and 
afterwards fetting fire to the charge. The method 1 took to do 
this was as follows. Having procured a number of air blad- 
ders of very fmall fifhes, I put different quantities of water 
into them from the fize of a fmall pea to that of a fmall piflol 
bullet, and tying them up clofe with fome very fine thread, I 
hung up thefe little globules in the open air till they were quite 
4ry on the out fide. I then provided a number of cartridges 
jaiade of fine paper, and filled them with a known quantity of 
powder, equal to the cuflomary charge for a common horfe- 
man’s piflol ; and having loaded fuch a piflol with one of them 
