1807.) 
MR. ALEXANDER JOHN FORSYTH’s (ABER- 
DEENSHIRE), for a Method of discharg- 
wing or giving Fire to Artillery, and all 
other Fire-Arms. 
Instead of permitting the touch-hole 
or vent of the pieces of artillery, fire- 
arms, mines, chambers, cavities, or places 
to communicate with the open air; and 
jnstead of giving fire to the charge by a 
lighted match, or by flint and steel, or by 
any other matter in a state of actual com- 
.bustion, applied to a priming in an open 
pan; Mr. F. closes the touch-hole, or 
vent, by means of a plug or sliding-piece, 
or other fit piece of metal, or suitable 
material or materials, so as to exclude 
the open air, and to prevent any sensible 
escape of the blast, or explosive gas, or 
vapour outwards, or from the priming or 
charge, and as much as possible to force 
the said priming to go in the direction of 
the charge, -and to set fire to the same, 
and not to be wasted in the open air. 
And, as a priming, he uses some or one 
,of those chemical compounds, which are 
so easily inflammable as to he capable of 
taking fié, and exploding without. any 
‘actual fire being applied thereto, and 
merely by a blow, or by any sudden or 
strong. pressure, or friction given or ap- 
.plied .thereto without extraordinary vio- 
‘lence ; that is to say, of some one of the 
compounds of combustible matter, such 
as sulphur, or sulphur’and charcoal, with 
“an oxymuriatic salt; for example, the 
calt formed of dephlogisticated marine 
acid and pot-ash, otherwise called oxy- 
muriate of pot-ash; or of such ‘of the 
-fulminating metallic compounds as may 
be used with safety; for example, fulmi- 
nating mercury, or of common gunpow- 
der mixed in due quantity with any of 
the before-mentioned substances, and 
these compounds, or mixtures of com- 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
477 
pounds, he says, are much better for 
priming than gunpowder used alone, 
which cannot be made to explode with- 
out some sparks or actual fire applied 
thereto, or else without such a degree of 
extraordinary and violent percussion, a3 
cannot convefiiently be made use of in 
gunnery, or with any of the fire-arms or 
artillery that are in most general use, 
But it is to be observed, that Mr. F’s in- 
vention is confined to the use and appli- 
cation of the compounds, to the purposes 
of artillery and fire-arms, as afuresaid. 
And the manner of priming and exploding 
used, is to introduce into the touch-hole, 
or vent, or into a small and strong cham- 
ber, or place between the*said touch-hole 
and vent, and the plug or sliding piece, 
or other piece by which the communica- 
tion with the external air is cut off, a 
small portion of some, or one of the che 
mical compounds before-mentioned, (for 
example, as for priming to a musket 
about the eighth part of a grain;) and 
when the required discharge is to be 
made, the said chemical compound or 
priming takes fire, and explodes by giving 
a stroke, or sudden and strong pressure 
to the same, communicated by and 
through the said plug or sliding-piece ; in 
consequence of which, the fire of the 
priming is immediately communicated to 
the contents or charge placed within the 
said piece of artillery, fire-arm, mine, 
e 
‘chamber, cavity, or place, and the dis- 
charge accordingly follows. To this spé- 
cification is annexed, drawings, by which 
the invention is more completely illus- _ 
trated, — 
Observation.—Knowing the dreadful 
nature. of the fulminating powders, we 
much doubt of the propriety of bringing 
the invention into practice. 
VARIETIES, Literary anp PHILosopHICAL. 
Including Notices of Works in Hand, Domejiie and Foreign. 
* * Authentic Communications for this Article will always be thankfully received. 
RS. Barbautp, has undertaken to 
superintend a Periodical work, to 
be entitled, The British Novellists, 
which will comprise a selection of English 
Novels, with Biographical Notices and 
Critical Remarks. This work will be 
printed uniformly, with Mr. Chalmers’s 
edition of the British Essayists, and will 
“extend to about sixty volumes. 
rit interesting literary discovery of un- 
‘Published works of the late Rosrrr 
Burns, has been made by Mr. Cromek, 
in a late tour through Scotland. The 
papers alluded to are numerous, and give 
a more particular account of the writings 
of the poet, and of his private life and 
concerns than have yet been laid before. 
the public. [fn this collection is found a 
number of letters addressed to his 
friends, written with that enthusiasm aud 
energy which so particularly characterised 
his genius. Several original poeins have, 
. if 
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