paste, there will be no need to tie it. Nothing will be necessary in that case, but to leave a little more of the paper hollow at the end of the saucisson which has been pierced, for the purpose of introducing the composition; and to place in the vacuity, towards the neck of the saucisson, some grained powder, which will communi. cate fire to the saucisson when the composition is consumed.

2. As there are some stars which in the end become petards, others may be made, which shall conclude with becoming serpents. But this may be so easily conceived and carried into execution, that it would be losing time to enlarge further on the subject. We shall only observe, that these stars are not in use, because it is difficult for a rocket to carry them to a considerable height in the air: they diminish the effect of the rocket or saucisson, and much time is re quired to make them.

SECTION V.

Shower of Fire.

To form a shower of fire, mould small paper cartridges on an iron rod, two lines and a half in diameter, and make them two inches and a half in length. They must not be choaked, as it will be sufficient to twist the end of the cartridge, and having put the rod into it to beat it, in order to make it assume its form. When the cartridges are filled, which is done by immersing them in the composition, fold down the other end, and then apply a match. The furniture will fill the air with an undulating fire. The follow. ing are some of the compositions proper for stars of this kind.

Chinese fire.-Pulverised gunpowder one pound, sulphur two ounces, iron sand of the first order five ounces.

Ancient fire.-Pulverised gunpowder one pound, charcoal two

ounces.

Brilliant fire.-Pulverised gunpowder one pound, iron filings four ounces.

The Chinese fire is certainly the most beautiful.

SECTION VI,

Of Sparks.

SPARKS differ from stars only in their size and duration; for they are made smaller than stars; and are consumed sooner. They are made in the following manner.

Having put into an earthen vessel an ounce of pulverised gun, powder, two ounces of pulverised saltpetre, one ounce of liquid saltpetre, and four ounces of camphor reduced to a sort of farina, pour over this mixture some gum.water, or brandy in which gum. adraganth or gum-arabic has been dissolved, till the composition acquire the consistence of a thick soup. Then take some lint which has been boiled in brandy, or in vinegar, or even in salt. petre, and then dried and unravelled, and throw into the mixture such a quantity of it as is sufficient to absorb it entirely, taking care to stir it well.

Form this matter into small balls or globes of the size of a pea; and having dried them in the sun or the shade, besprinkle them with pulverized gunpowder, in order that they may the more rea dily catch fire.

Another Method of making Sparks.

Take the saw.dust of any kind of wood that burns readily, such as fir, elder-tree, poplar, laurel, &c. and boil it in water in which saltpetre has been dissolved. When the water has boiled some time, take it from the fire, and pour it off in such a manner that the saw.dust may remain in the vessel. Then place the saw-dust on a table, and while moist besprinkle it with sulphur, sifted through a very fine sieve: you may add to it also a little bruised gunpowder. Lastly, when the saw-dust has been well mixed, leave it to dry, and make it into sparks as above described,

SECTION VII.

Of Golden Rain.

THERE are some flying rockets which, as they fall, make small undulations in the air like hair half frizzled. These are called fusées chevelues, bearded rockets; they finish with a kind of

shower of fire, which is called golden rain. The method of constructing them is as follows.

Fill the barrels of some goose quills with the composition of fly. ing-rockets, and place upon the mouth of each a little moist gunpowder, both to keep in the composition, and to serve as a match. If a flying-rocket be then loaded with these quills, they will pro. duce, at the end, a very agreeable shower of fire, which on account of its beauty has been called golden rain.

CHAP. VI.

OF SOME ROCKETS DIFFERENT IN THEIR EFFECT FROM COMMON ROCKETS.

SEVERAL very amusing and ingenious works are made by mean of simple rockets, of which it is necessary that we should here give the reader some idea.

SECTION I.

Of Courantins, or Rockets which fly along a Rope.

A COMMON гocket, which however ought not to be very large, may be made to run along an extended rope. For this purpose, affix to the rocket an empty cartridge, and introduce into it the rope which is to carry it; placing the head of the rocket towards that side on which you intend it to move: if you then set fire to the rocket, adjusted in this manner, it will run along the rope without stopping, till the matter it contains is entirely exhausted.

If you are desirous that the rocket should move in a retrograde direction; first fill one half of it with the composition, and cover it with a small round piece of wood, to serve as a partition between it and that put into the other half; then make a hole below this par. tition, so as to correspond with a small canal filled with bruised powder, and terminating at the other end of the rocket: by these means the fire, when it ceases in the first half of the rocket, will be communicated through the hole into the small canal, which will

convey it to the other end; and this end being then kindled, the rocket will move backwards, and return to the place from which it set out.

Two rockets of equal size, bound together by means of a piece of strong pack-thread, and disposed in such a manner that the head of the one shall be opposite to the neck of the other, that when the fire has consumed the composition in the one, it may be communi. cated to that in the other, and oblige both of them to move in a re trograde direction, may also be adjusted to the rope by means of a piece of hollow reed. But to prevent the fire of the former from being communicated to the second too soon, they ought to be co. vered with oil-cloth, or to be wrapped up in paper.

REMARK.

Rockets of this kind are generally employed for setting fire to various other pieces when large fireworks are exhibited; and to render them more agreeable, they are made in the form of different animals, such as serpents, dragons, &c.; on which account they are called flying dragons. These dragons are very amusing, espe cially when filled with various compositions, such as golden rain, long hair, &c. They might be made to discharge serpents from their mouths, which would produce a very pleasing effect, and give them a greater resemblance to a dragon.

SECTION II.

Rockets which fly along a Rope, and turn round at the same

time.

NOTHING is easier than to give to a rocket of this kind a rotary motion around the rope along which it advances; it will be suffi cient for this purpose, to tie it to another rocket, placed in a transversal direction. But the aperture of the latter, instead of being at the bottom, ought to be in the side, near one of the ends. If both rockets be fired at the same time, the latter will make the other revolve around the rope, while it advances along it.

SECTION III.

Of Rockets which burn in the Water.

THOUGH fire and water are two things of a very opposite nature, the rockets above described, when set on fire, will burn and pro

duce their effect even in the water; but as they are then below the water, the pleasure of seeing them is lost; for this reason, when it is required to cause rockets to burn as they float on the water, it will be necessary to make some change in the proportions of the moulds, and the materials of which they are composed.

In regard to the mould, it may be eight or nine inches in length, and an inch in diameter: the former, on which the cartridge is rolled up, may be nine lines in thickness, and the rod for loading the cartridge must as usual be somewhat less. For loading the cartridge, there is no need for a piercer with a nipple.

The composition may be made in two ways; for if it be required that the rocket, while burning on the water, should appear as bright as a candle, it must be composed of three materials mixed together, viz. three ounces of pulverised and sifted gunpowder, one pound of saltpetre, and eight ounces of sulphur. But if you are desirous that it should appear on the water with a beautiful tail, the composition must consist of eight ounces of gunpowder pulverised and sifted, one pound of saltpetre, eight ounces of pounded and sifted sulphur, and two ounces of charcoal.

When the composition has been prepared according to these proportions, and the rocket has been filled in the manner above described, apply a saucisson to the end of it; and having covered the rocket with wax, black pitch, resin, or any other substance ca. pable of preventing the paper from being spoiled in the water, attach to it a small rod of white willow, about two feet in length, that the rocket may conveniently float.

If it be required that these rockets should plunge down, and again rise up; a certain quantity of pulverised gunpowder, without any mixture, must be introduced into them, at certain distances, such for example, as two, three, or four lines, according to the size of the cartridge.

REMARKS.

1. Small rockets of this kind may be made, without changing the mould or composition, in several different ways, which, for the sake of brevity, we are obliged to omit. Such of our readers as are desirous of further information on this subject, may consult those authors who have written expressly on pyrotechny, some of whom we shall mention at the end of this book.

2. It is possible also to make a rocket which, after it has burnt