It was of a dirty brownish yellow colour, but somewhat variegated. Charcoal manifestly formed but a very small part of the composition.

It had a groove up the middle, of an inch in diameter, blackened by the explosion of gunpowder, with which the groove had manifestly been filled.

It burned with deflagration, emitting smoke, and a sulphureous odour.

The residuum was partly black, partly white.

The black residuum, was manifestly liver of sulphur to the taste; (sulphuret of potash.)

The white fused residuum was alkaline.

Hence I concluded, that it consisted of sulphur, resin and (probably linseed) oil, with a small portion of mealed gunpowder, and highly charged with saltpetre.

I dissolved a given portion in hot water, filtered and extracted the saltpetre. So that I found a composition of similar qualities, might be made as follows:

Linseed oil about one gill to a lb. of the composition.

The sulphur and rosin should be slowly melted together, over a charcoal fire or in a sand-bath; taking care that the heat do not set fire to the sulphur, and that the smoke or evaporation is moderate. Melt the rosin first, then add the sulphur. Have ready in a separate vessel, the nitre previously powdered and kept hot for an hour, but not melted. Let it be again very finely powdered while hot, and when the rosin and sulphur are perfectly melted and fluid, stir in, first the mealed gunpowder, then the powdered nitre while hot. When all is well and accurately mixed over the fire, it will be, not fluid, but yet soft enough to put on an uniform appearance when cold. This I say will make a composition hardly distinguishable from the Congreve rocket such as I received. But I think the following composition full as good:

Melt the sulphur and rosin as above directed, then add half a pint of oil of turpentine previouly warmed. Then stir in the hot and finely-powdered nitre. I think the gunpowder may be spared. The finer the nitre is, the more effectual the composition. Either of these, may be lighted by a common cigar, and will continue burning with a hot, deflagrating, and spreading flame,

Capt. Beath, I believe, has greatly improved the mode of discharging rockets.-T. C.

GREEK FIRE,

MR. EDITOR,

Having seen in your very respectable paper, a statement of the, wonderful effect of the Greck fire, discovered by captain Maguire, an Irish gentleman of great ingenuity, I beg leave to state to you the exact particulars.

About a fortnight since, this gentleman, at the solicitation of several respectable persons, made an experiment, in the river near Chelsea water works, by sinking a bottle that held three pints of a liquid, much resembling in appearance common blacking for boots. To the neck of this bottle was fastened a small fuse, which was lowered over the wall into the river seven feet deep. The explosion was dreadful, and the effect equally so, it having blown up 24 feet of the wall, with large stones at least two hundred weight, that were clamped together with iron. The officers and gentlemen that were present, amongst whom were colonels Wilson and Lowe, general Barker, captains Mullen and Nunn, were positive that a column of not less than seven tons of water was, with the stones, &c. thrown to the height of sixty feet above the level of the river. Another property it possesses still more dreadful, and which no human foresight can prevent, is, that it will float on the surface of the water, as a vast liquid mass of fire; consequently, sending it into harbour with the tide, it will burn all before it.

The master general of the ordnance, with a true wish to encourage genius, has afforded Mr. Maguire every assistance in his power, as it was by his immediate desire, it is said, he came to this country. Was real merit thus countenanced in our own nation, there would not be such emigration of men of abilities to other kingdoms.

London paper.]

M. O'R.

I think there would not be much difficulty in making this composition.-T. C.

TORPEDOES.

The "Newengland Weekly Journal," a newspaper published in this town, in the year 1741, contains in the paper of May 5th, something like Mr. Fulton's plan, for defending the harbour of Newyork, by torpedoes.-Boston Rep.

For the information of the public I now advertise, that I, the subscriber, have projected a method for blowing up of shipping with powder under water, and am fully of the mind that engines may be so contrived and managed, by placing them across the channel, that if our enemies should attempt to invade us, they should not be able to pass the channel, but they should come upon one or other of them, so that their shipping and themselves should be destroyed.

An experiment of this nature was tried the 2d day of this instant, April, in the method and manner above proposed with a few pounds of powder, and the experiment was made upon a raft, and as the raft passed over the engine, it set the same on fire and was torn into splinters, that scarce a piece four foot long was to be found, and some of it was cast into the air divers rods, and was seen by a person that was above a mile; and there were near two hundred persons that were eye witnesses, and were of the mind that if a sufficient quantity of powder was in that engine, and a ship had passed over it, it would have set the engine on fire, and been destroyed thereby.

Lexington, April 30, 1741.

ANDREW PARKER.

OUSELEY'S GREEK FIRE.

In addition to the Shrapnell shells, and Congreve rockets, another new, and as is said, more destructive engine for the demolition of ships, was lately presented to the board of ordnance, by captain Ouseley of the foreign depot. This thunder and lightning machine, was exhibited at Woolwich, on the 8th of April, 1809, to a vast number of general officers, officers of artillery and engineers. The experiments were made on a flag-staff, rigged out by several ropes, and representing a mast and rigging. On the first trial, the mast and rigging fell to the ground with an instant crash, involved in flames. The second trial was not so perfect, owing to some irregularity in disposing the materials. The fire on the third trial clung to the mast and rigging, and burnt with the same astonishing fury as at first. The other trials were equally successful in showing the effect of the model of this engine, which is no larger, than a couple of pint decanters united. Captain Ouseley was on the ground, and assisted in the management of it.

Having thus furnished you with notices of inventions to put men to death, I send you one, calculated to preserve their lives.

May, 1809-An experiment exciting an uncommon degree of interest, was tried lately at Woolwich by captain Manby, barrackmaster at Yarmouth. It is intended to open a communication with vessels stranded on a lee shore, to save their crews in the darkest night. Three requisites were necessary to effect this important object. 1st. To discover precisely where the wrecked vessel was situated, in case the crew were unable to point out her distressing situation by luminous signals. 2d. To lay the piece of artillery with accuracy to the object. 3d. To make the flight of a rope perfectly discernible to those on shore, as well to those for whose safety it was intended. A small mortar firing a paper ball high into the air, at a certain calculated distance, the ball exploded, disengaging a shower of large balls of fire, that kept a luminous fall nearly to the horizon where the vessel was supposed to be seen; and a stand having two perpendiculars in it, was pointed to the object. The stand supposing to have ascertained the direct position of the wrecked vessel, the mortar was to be placed behind it, directed to the line of the two perpendiculars, and the rope regularly

laid on the ground in its front. The mortar being loaded with a shell having three large fuses, or rather rockets in it, which, when fired, carried the rope surrounded with such a blaze of light as could hardly be conceived. The decided approbation this invention met with from all present, marked its peculiar and distinguished merit. Every officer of that scientific corps before whom the experiment was made, for them to report on, warmly congratulated captain Manby; and the officers of the navy expressed their fullest conviction of its great utility, and the benefit that would result from it. Among them were lord Gardiner, lord Newark, Mr. Whitby, master attendant of Woolwich dock-yard, &c. &c. The effect, although in the day, was beyond all description beautiful, and proved the utility of a most important discovery to save shipwrecked mariners in a long stormy night in the winter; a period occupying so great a part of the twenty-four hours in that season of the year. Edinb. Ann. Reg. for 1809. T. C.

SUGAR FROM STARCH.

The interesting experiments of Mr. Kirchoff of St. Petersburgh, proving that starch may be converted into sugar by the action of dilute sulphuric acid, have been eagerly repeated by the most distinguished chemical philosophers in Europe. This singular conversion is produced by boiling 100 parts of starch with 400 of water, and from two to eight parts of strong sulphuric acid, in an unglazed earthen vessel, for a period of from 24 to 36 hours, constantly stirring the mixture during the first hour (after which it becomes more fluid) and carefully maintaining the original quantity of water by adding more as it is wasted. Upon growing cold the mixture must be neutralized with chalk, and clarified by charcoal; filtrated through flannel, and evaporated to the consistence of oil. It must then be again cooled, in order to remove its sulphate of lime, and the clear liquor, if further gently evaporated, will yield about 100 parts of gummy syrup of the specific gravity of 1,295, easily susceptible of vinous fermentation, and when separated from the gum, which in general forms no less than a fifth part of it, capable of being crystallized, and applied to all the common purposes of native sugar. With the rationale of this very