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showed that by the drug space ο εκτιμω yout tity of elastic air ve berganel Wild Welcom the space only secamier by the powder before I was inte was found to be a 23 timer suonger that the weight elasticity of the common aumospiuenc air. the same parcel of air in the degree of nec at iron, ane found it in that temperature to be about I tillits as suong as before, whence be inferred, that the first streng of the ti

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fact

flamed fluid, must be nearly 1000 times the pressure of the atmosphere. But this was merely guessing at the degree of heat in the inflamed fluid, and consequently of its first strength, both which in are found to be much greater. It is true that this assumed degree of strength accorded pretty well with that author's experiments; but this seeming agreement, it may easily be shown, could only be owing to the inaccuracy of his own further experiments; and, in fact, with far better opportunities than fell to the lot of Mr. Robins, we have shown that inflamed gunpowder is about double the strength that he has assigned to it, and that it expands itself with the velocity of about 5000 feet per second.

Fully sensible of the importance of experiments of this kind, first practised by Mr. Robins with musket balls only, my endeavours for many years were directed to the prosecution of the same, on a larger scale, with cannon balls; and • I having had the honour to be called on to give my assistance at several courses of such experiments, carried on at Woolwich by the ingenious officers of the Royal Artillery there, under the auspices of the Masters General of the Ordnance, I have assiduously attended them for many years. The first of these courses was performed in the year 1775, being 2 years after my establishment in the Royal Academy at that place: and in the Philos. Trans. for the year 1778 I gave an account of these experiments, with deductions, in a memoir, which was honoured with the Royal Society's gold medal of that year. In conclusion, from the whole, the following important deductions were fairly drawn and stated, viz.

1st, It is made evident by these experiments, that gunpowder fires almost instantaneously. 2dly, The velocities communicated to shot of the same weight, with different charges of powder, are nearly as the square roots of those charges. Saly, And when shot of different weights are fired with the same charge of powder, the velocities communicated to them, are nearly in the inverse ratio of the square roots of their weights. 4thly, So that, in general, shot which are of different weights, and impelled by the firing of different charges of powder, acquire velocities which are directly as the square roots of the charges of powder, and inversely as the square roots of the weights of the shot. 5thly, It would therefore be a great improvement in artillery, occasionally to make use of shot of a long shape, or of heavier matter, as lead; for thus the momentum of a shot, when discharged with the same charge of powder, would be increased in the ratio of the square root of the weight of the shot; which would both augment proportionally the force of the blow with which it would strike, and the extent of the range to which it would go. 6thly, It would also be an improvement, to diminish the windage; since by this means, one third or more of the quantity of powder might be saved. 7thly, When the improvements mentioned in the last two articles are considered as both taking place, it appears that about half the quantity of powder might be saved. But, important as this saving may be, it appears to be still exceeded by that of the guns: for thus a small gun may be made to have the effect and execution of another of two or three times its size in the present way, by discharging a long shot of 2 or 3 times the weight of its usual ball, or round shot; and thus a small ship might employ shot as heavy as those of the largest now used.

Finally, as these experiments prove the regulations with respect to the weight of powder and shot, when discharged from the same piece of ordnance; so, by making similar experiments with a gun varied in its length, by cutting off from it a certain part, before each set of trials, the effects and general rules for the different lengths of guns, may be with certainty determined by them. In short, the principles on which these experiments were made, are so fruitful in consequences, that, in conjunction with the effects of the resistance of the medium, they appear to be sufficient for answering all the inquiries of the speculative philosopher, as well as those of the practical artillerist.

Such then was the summary conclusion from the first set of experiments with cannon balls, in the year 1775, and such were the probable advantages to be derived from them. I am not aware however that any alterations were adopted from them by authority in the public service: unless we are to except the instance of carronades, a species of ordnance that was afterwards invented, and in some degree adopted in the public service; for, in this instance, the proprietors of those pieces, by availing themselves of the circumstances of large balls, and very small windage, have, with small charges of powder, and at little expense, been enabled to produce very considerable and useful effects with those light pieces.

The 2d set of these experiments extended through most part of the summer seasons of the years 1783, 1784, 1785, and some in 1786. The objects of this course were numer... ous and various: but the principal articles as follow: 1. The velocities with which balls are projected by equal charges of powder, from pieces of equal weight and calibre, but of different lengths. 2. The velocities with different charges of powder, the weight and length of the guns being equal. 3. The greatest velocities due to the different lengths of guns,

10

to be ascertained by successively increasing the charge, till the bore should be filled, or till the velocity should decrease again. 4. The effect of varying the weight of the piece; every thing else being the same. 5. The penetrations of balls into blocks of wood. 6. The ranges and times of flight of balls; to compare them with their first velocities, for ascertaining the resistance of the medium. 7. The effect of wads; of different degrees of ramming, or compressing the charge; of different degrees of windage; of different positions of the vent; of chambers and trunnions, and every other circumstance necessary to be known for the improvement of artillery.

An ample account is given of these experiments, and the results deduced from them in my volume of Tracts published in 1786; some few circumstances only of which can be noted here. In this course, 4 brass guns were employed, very nicely bored and cast on purpose, of different lengths, but equal in all other respects, viz, in weight and bore, &c. The lengths of the bores of the guns were,

the gun no 1, was 15 calibres, length of bore 28.5 inc.

n° 2, 20 calibres,

40 calibres,

38.4

57.7

80.2.

the calibre of each being 25 inches, and the medium weight of the balls 16 oz. 13 drams.

The mediums of all the experimented velocities of the balls, with which they struck the pendulous block of wood, placed at the distance of 32 feet from the muzzle of the gun, for several charges of powder, were as in the following table,

placed in the 1st column, for all the four guns, the num

bers denoting so many feet per second. Whence in general