60 
Account of an Explosion 
Cornelia Bandi) was entirely reduced to ashes, except 
her legs ; that an English woman called Grace Pitt, was 
almost entirely consumed by a spontaneous inflammation 
of her viscera ; and, lastly, that a priest of Bergamo was 
consumed in the same manner. These spontaneous in- 
flammations have been attributed to the abuse of spiritu- 
ous liquors ; but, though the victims of intemperance are 
indeed very numerous, these certainly do not belong to 
that number. 
The spontaneous inflammation of essential oils, and 
that of some fat oils, when mixed with nitrous acid, are 
well known to philosophers ; so also is that of powdered 
charcoal with the same acid ; (lately discovered by M. 
Proust ;) and those of phosphorus, of pyrophorus, and 
of fulminating gold. These substances are generally to 
be found only in the laboratories of chemists, who are 
perfectly well acquainted with the precautions which it is 
necessary to take, to prevent the unhappy accidents 
which may be occasioned by them. 
The conflagration of a frigate, belonging to the Em- 
press of Russia, in the harbour of Cronstadt, on board of 
which there had been no fire, shews that lamp black, by 
being moistened with hemp-seed oil, is capable of pro- 
ducing flame ; this was proved by the experiments which 
the Academy of Petersburg!! made upon the subject, by 
order of the Empress ; and, though the gentlemen of the 
academy could not succeed in producing inflammation in 
hemp or cordage, by wetting them with the foremention- 
ed oil, it is still very probable that the terrible fire which 
happened in the great magazine of cordage at Peters- 
burg!!, was occasioned by the spontaneous inflammation 
of these substances ; and also that which happened at 
Rochefort in the year 1756.* 
The burning of a store-house of sails, which happen- 
* A more particular account of several of these facts 3 will appear in our sub* 
sequent numbers. Ed, 
