new inflammable Air or Gafs, &c. 385 
immediately inverted into the orifice of the air piftol, 
and, after giving it a gentle fqueeze, withdrawn out of 
it : after which, a bullet or a cork is to be thruft into the 
mouth of the piftol, when it is ready for firing. This 
whole operation may be performed in the fpace of five 
or fix feconds. 
The confiderable force of explofion, and the loud re- 
port of the ordinary inflammable airs, induced Mr. 
volta, of Como, to believe, that thefe airs might, per- 
haps, become a fubftitute to gunpowder. If this expec- 
tation had been well founded, the greateft deflderatum 
would, I think, have been to find out a way to produce 
fuch air at any time without trouble, and to carry it 
about in as little compafs as poffible : which two condi- 
tions I fhould have pretty nearly fulfilled, as all the in- 
flammable air requifite for the explofion of the piftols 
contrived by Mr. volta is contained in the bulk, of one 
fingle drop of aether ; which drop, poured in the piftol 
itfelf, is full fufiicient to produce a very powerful explo- 
fion. But how far this expedtation of Mr. volta, as to 
the ufe of inflammable air in offenfive arms, is well 
grounded, I will attempt to explain in the fubfequent 
part of this paper. 
This inflammable air (which, perhaps, might more 
properly be called vapour, as it is abforbable by water) 
has 
