410 Dr. ingenhousz’s Account of a 
of a wax taper, the air inftantly took fire, and exploded with 
y fuch a ftrong report, that his hearing, as well as mine, was 
much hurt by it. The cork, which was a very found 
one, flew to pieces againft the wall; and the Abbe felt 
fuch a conflderable lhock in his hands, that he did not 
think it fafe to repeat the experiment, unlefs a ftronger 
piftol could be procured. 
Encouraged by fuch uncommon and unexpected ef- 
fects, I went immediately to Mr. nairne to inquire, 
whether he ftill had in his pofieffion a ftrong brafs air 
piftol, which he had made laft fummer according to my 
direction? I was lucky enough to find it: nothing was to 
be done to it but to drill a touch-hole in the left fide of 
it, in order to kindle it by a flame if required. This 
touch-hole was to be lhut up by a brafs male fcrew fitted 
exactly to it, when the piftol was intended to be fired by 
an electrical fpark. 
The air box of this piftol was a cylinder four inches 
long and two inches in diameter. The fore part of the 
air box to which the piftol barrel fitted to receive a leaden 
ball or a cork, was fixed, had a broad fhoulder, which was 
fattened to the body of the air box by fix ftrong brafs 
fcrews, which never had been loofened by former explo- 
fions.’ A leaden bullet, wrapped up in leather, was forci- 
bly rammed into the piftol barrel as far as the fcrew, which 
joins 
