new inflammable Air or Gafs, &c. 409 
con fider able degree of force; and therefore I found it 
neceflary, in order to procure a loud report, to kindle it 
by an electrical fpark directed through the piftol, when 
its orifice was fhut up by a cork, the refiftance of which 
was the chief caufe of the report. 
This wonderful effeCt in an open veflel could not fail 
of giving me a good expectation of a very powerful ef- 
fect, if this compound air was fhut up in an air piftol by 
a cork fqueezed into its orifice. As it had been now kin- 
dled twice by the flame of a candle, I wanted to kindle it 
by the fame means in an air piftol ; for this purpofe we 
drilled a fmall hole in the fide of the piftol, which was 
made of tin, and contained about nine cubic inches of 
fpace. We filled it with dephlogifticated air in the fame 
manner as we had filled the phial by means of water; 
and after having poured into it one drop of aether by 
means of a glafs tube (in the manner above defcribed), 
we ihut the orifice by thrufting a cork into if, and kept a 
finger applied to the touch-hole which was drilled in the 
fide of the piftol. To avoid accidents if the piftol fhould 
burft, we thought it prudent to fqueeze the cork very 
gently into the orifice, fo that the refiftance fhould be very 
moderate. Abbe fontana wrapped a towel round 
the piftol for fecurity’s fake, leaving only the touch- 
hole uncovered; which being brought near the flame 
of 
