174 ROC 
liarly adapted to add to the dreadful effects of fire-ships; 
for, according to the present system, it is not improbable 
that a number of fire-ships may pass harmlessly through an 
enemy’s, fleet, by the exertion of their crews in towing them 
clear, whereas, if they were supplied each by a sufficient 
number of rockets, such an extensive and devastating fire 
would be spread in every direction, as to involve every 
vessel of the enemy in that destructive element. After the 
above statement, little need be said in reference to the ge¬ 
neral utility and importance of the rocket system. It will 
be sufficient so observe, that it consists, first, in there being 
a species of projectiles of the most destructive kind, which, 
containing in themselves the propelling power, dispenses 
with the use of heavy ordnance, and consequently offers 
great facilities to the movement of an army. 2dly. The 
extensive nature of the fire that may be kept up, by a few 
men, against any important point. 3dly. It may be em¬ 
ployed in a variety of cases in which the usual artillery, 
from the nature of the ground, or other impediments, cannot 
be rendered effective; and lastly, in naval bombardments, 
in consequence of its trifling re-action it may be thrown 
from cutters and small boats, and therefore from points which 
could never be approached by the vessels usually employed 
in that service. 
It may also not be amiss to observe, that in point of ex¬ 
pense the rocket likewise possesses the advantage. The 
32-pounder carcass-rocket costs only 1/. Is. lid. complete, 
in every respect, for service ; whereas its equivalent, the 
10-inch spherical carcass, with the charge of powder ne¬ 
cessary to convey it 3000 yards, which power is contained 
in the rocket, costs 1/. 2s. Id., independent of any charge 
for the mortar, mortar-bed, platform, difference of transport, 
&c. &c. attaching to the spherical carcass, and not to the 
rocket, which actually requires no apparatus whatever to 
use it in a bombardment, and has, therefore, no charge 
attaching to it, beyond the first cost, but that of transport; 
and a vessel of 300 tons will carry 5000 of them at least. 
It is also further to be observed, that the above 1/. Is. lid. 
supposes the whole construction to be effected by manual 
labour: by introducing machinery (which we understand 
may easily be done), the expense of the 32-pounder carcass- 
rocket will be reduced to 18s., or even to 16s., by using 
bamboo instead of the usual stick, which is but about 
three-fourths of the expense of the 10-inch spherical car¬ 
cass, independent of all the other charges of transport, &c. 
attending the latter. 
But the comparison, as to expense, is still more in favour 
of the rocket, when compared with the larger kind of 
carcasses. The 13-incli spherical carcass costs ]/. 17s. llfd., 
to throw it 2500 yards, while its equivalent rocket costs 
but 1/. 5s. 0d., being a saving, on the first cost, of 12s. llfd., 
and a similar proportion of saving runs through the whole 
system. 
The Rocket Light Ball, also invented by Sir William 
Congreve, is a species of light ball thrown into the air by 
means of one of his rockets; where, having reached the 
summit of the rocket’s ascent, it is detached from it by an ex¬ 
plosion, and remains suspended in the air by a small para¬ 
chute, to which it is connected by a chain. Thus, in lieu 
of the transient momentary gleam obtained by the common 
light ball, a permanent and brilliant light is obtained, and 
suspended in the air for five minutes at least, so as to afford 
time and light sufficient to observe the motions of an enemy 
either on shore or at sea; where it is particularly useful in 
chasing, or for giving distant and more extensive night 
signals. It is to be observed, that nothing of this kind can 
be obtained by the projectile force of either guns or mor¬ 
tars, because the explosion infallibly destroys any con¬ 
struction that could be made to produce the suspension in 
the air. 
There is another of the inventor’s applications of his rocket, 
and of the parachute, called the floating rochet carcass, for 
the purpose of conveying combustible matter to distances far 
beyond the range of any known projectile force; at the 
K E T. 
same time that it is cheap, simple, and portable. The float’ 
ing carcass, like the light ball, is thrown into the air at¬ 
tached to a rocket, from which, being liberated at its greatest 
altitude, and suspended to a small parachute, it is driven 
forward by the wind, and will, in a moderate breeze, afford 
ranges at least double those of the common carcass; and 
may, therefore, for naval purposes, from a blockading squad- 
dron, be thrown in great quantities, by a fair wind, against 
any fleet or arsenal, without the smallest risk, or without ap¬ 
proaching within range either of guns or mortars. Thus, 
in the blockade a few years back, of the Russian fleet at 
Baltic fort, it might have been continually used, at all 
events, with great prospect of success, and certainly where 
no other means of annoyance could be applied. The rocket 
containing this carcass is not larger than the 32-pounder 
carcass-rocket; and the whole expense, added to the rocket, 
does not exceed five shillings; nor are the approaches of the 
carcass itself necessarily visible by night, as it may be so 
arranged, as not to inflame till some time after it has settled. 
It is evidently, therefore, capable of becoming a very harass¬ 
ing weapon, with a great chance of doing as much mischief 
as any other carcass amongst large fleets and flotillas, by 
lodging unperceived in the rigging, or lighting on extensive 
arsenals, in situations where no other means of annoyance 
whatever exist. 
Theory of the Motion of Rockets. —The theory of 
the flight of' rockets differs very essentially from that of 
the usual projectiles. In the latter, the body is launched 
into space with a certain and determinate velocity; and by 
rejecting the resistance of the air, a most beautiful theory is 
established, possessing great simplicity and generality, and 
which is, therefore, highly interesting to the speculative 
mathematician, notwithstanding it is of little or no use to the 
practical artillerist. In order to render the theory useful in 
the latter sense, a great variety of experiments have been 
made to ascertain the effect of the air’s resistance, which is 
not at all considered in the former case, the initial velocity 
of the ball, the strength of fired gunpowder, &c. &c.; yet 
after all, it must be acknowledged that very little has been 
gained, and the practitioner is still much more guided by 
his own experience, than by any light that has been thrown 
upon the subject from long and intricate mathematical 
theories. 
The motion of rockets is more complicated than that of 
common projectiles, partaking, in fact, of all the anomalies 
that attend the accelerated motion arising from the rocket 
composition, and the uniform motion of the rocket-case, 
after the composition is expended; and as little or no advan¬ 
tage has yet been gained from the experiments that have 
been made with cannon, even where the angle of elevation 
and the initial velocity of the ball were both accurately 
known, it seems totally useless to look for any assistance 
from mathematical investigations, with respect to deter¬ 
mining the ranges, &c. of military rockets : because if we 
could determine with the greatest accuracy the point, po¬ 
sition, and velocity of the rocket, at the moment when the 
composition was expended, the remaining part of its track 
would still be subject to all the inequalities attending on 
common projectiles. 
If we confine our investigations only to that motion which 
has place during the time the composition is burning, it is 
not improbable' that much light might be thrown on the 
subject from a well arranged course of experiments; and 
that their motion might be reduced to precise rules, in seve¬ 
ral applications of the rocket-system, particularly in the 
cases we have mentioned, where they are intended to be 
used as a kind of battering-train. 
The great impediment in gunnery to the exact determina¬ 
tion of the momentum of any given ball, when projected 
with a given velocity, and from a given distance, is the 
resistance of the air; because it can only be found from 
experiment at certain distances, and it is difficult from a few 
partial cases to infer a general law. That the resistance of 
the air to the same ball is as some function of the velocity, 
there. 
