7$  Mr.  button,  on  the  initial 
the  powder.  This  defedt  of  a 2 2d  part  is  owing  to  three 
evident  caufes,  viz.  1.  The  lefs  length  of  cylinder 
through  which  the  ball  was  impelled ; for  by  infpedting 
the  fourth  column,  denoting  the  height  of  the  charge, 
it  appears,  that  the  balls  lay  three  or  four  inches  nearer 
to  the  muzzle  of  the  piece  with  the  eight  ounce  charge 
than  with  the  others.  2.  The  greater  quantity  of  elaf- 
tic  fluid  which  efcaped  in  this  cafe  than  in  the  others  by 
the  windage;  this  happens  from  its  moving  with  a 
greater  velocity,  in  confequence  of  which  a greater  quan- 
tity efcapes  by  the  vent  and  windage  than  with  the  fmal- 
ler,  velocities.  3.  The  third  caufe  is  the  greater  quan- 
tity of  powder  blown  out  unfired  in  this  cafe  than  in 
that  of  the  lefs  velocities ; for  the  ball  which  was  im- 
pelled with  the  greater  velocity  would  be  fooner  out  of 
the  piece  than  the  others,  and  the  more  fo  as  it  had  a lefs 
length  of  the  bore  to  move  through ; and  if  powder  fire 
in  time,  which  cannot  be  denied,  although  indeed  that 
time  is  manifeftly  very  fhort,  a greater  quantity  of  it 
mu  ft  remain  unfired  when  the  ball  with  the  greater  ve- 
locity ifiues  from  the  piece,  than  when  that  which  has 
the  lefs  velocity  goes  out,  and  ftill  the  more  fo  as  the 
bulk  of  powder  which  was  at  firft  to  be  inflamed  in  the 
one  cafe  fo  much  exceeded  that  in  the  others.  The 
effect,  however,  will  arife  chiefly  from  the  firft  and  laft 
of 
