Chapter 1, Section 1

A TREATISE OF

ARTILLERY.

C H A P. I.

O f G U N P O W D E R.

EFORE we deƒcribe the works neceƒƒary for the taking of a fortified town, or treat of the manner of its defence, it is proper to give an account of the arms or machines neceƒƒary for ƒuch undertakings, and the manner of uƒing them, which is the ƒubject of this treatiƒe.

SECT. I. Of the compoƒition and method of making Gunpowder

WE ƒhall begin with a brief deƒcription of gunpowder, which is now the ƒoul of almost all military machines. It is compoƒed of three 4ths of ƒaltpetre, one 8th of ƒulphur, and one 8th of charcoal, ƒo that in 100 pound of powder there are 75 of ƒaltpetre, 12 and a half of ƒulphur, and as much charcoal. 1
        Theƒe ingredients muƒt be beaten together in a mortar for about 24 hours, then taken out and put into a ƒieve with two or three bottoms or grates of copper, the holes of which are not directly under each other, and are leƒs in the under than the upper grate. In paƒƒing through theƒe holes the compoƒition is formed into grains, 2 and it is forced through them by means of a ƒmall wooden cylinder, 9 or 10 inches long, and 1 inch and a half thick, called a roller, which turns round on the powder in the firƒt bottom as the ƒieve is moved backward and forward upon the ƒticks or rails that ƒupport it; the powder being, by the weight of this roller, forced in large grains to the ƒecond bottom, in which the holes are leƒs, it is forced through theƒe by frequent ƒtriking ƒieve againƒt ƒomething ƒolid; 3 the powder being thus made is dryed, and lightly put into barrels, which contain 200 pounds, and theƒe barrels are put into others for further ƒecurity.
        The ƒaltpetre is that part of the compoƒition which gives it ƒound and ƒtrength, 4 the ƒulphur ƒerves to kindle it with the greater eaƒe; but as its flame is very thin, and of ƒhort duration, the charcoal ƒerves to give it a longer ƒubƒiƒtence, and ƒo prevents the violent force or blaƒt of that part of the ƒaltpetre which is firƒt lighted from extinguiƒhing this flame before the whole has taken fire. 5
        Charcoal is not abƒolutely eƒƒential to gunpowder; burnt linen may be made uƒe of in its ƒtead, or the pith of elder well dried; but charcoal is preferred, becauƒe it is very common, and eaƒily prepared.
        There are two ƒorts of powder; the firƒt, called cannon-powder, is what is commonly uƒed in an army; the ƒecond, called fine powder, is that commonly uƒed in fowling. The grains of the cannon-powder are larger than thoƒe of the fine, which is alƒo called fowling-powder. There is yet another ƒort of powder called priming-powder, which is only the ordinary powder bruiƒed, to render it finer.
        This is the compoƒition of gunpowder, the effects of which are ƒo aƒtoniƒhing, and which has produced ƒo many alterations in the fortifications and arms which were antiently uƒed in war.

SECT. II. Of the Time when Powder was invented.

IT is very difficult to fix the exact period of time in which gunpowder was invented in Europe; I ƒay in Europe, because many authors pretend it was uƒed long before in China. The moƒt common opinion is, that it was diƒcovered about the year 1330, by a German monk named Bertholdus Schwartz, 6or the Black, who uƒed to divert himƒelf with chymiƒtry. This monk having put a compoƒition of ƒulphur and ƒaltpetre in a mortar, it took fire, and threw off a ƒtone that covered it with great violence; which effect induced the chymiƒt to think it might be uƒed with great advantage in the attack of fortified places. He accordingly apply'd himƒelf with great diligence to bring it to perfection, and added to it a quantity of charcoal, to render it more apt to take fire, and to continue it. 7 There is great uncertainty as to the time when this diƒcovery of Schwartz was firƒt brought into uƒe; ƒome authors affirm that, in 1366, the Venetians beƒeiging a town then called Foƒƒe Caudiane, and now Chioggia (which had been taken from them by the Genoeƒe) ƒome Germans brought them two ƒmall pieces of artillery, with ƒome gunpowder, and leaden bullets, the uƒe of which rendered the reduction of the place much more eaƒy and expeditious.
But others carry the uƒe of gunpowder further back; according to Du Cange and Father Daniel, it appears, by the regiƒters of the chamber 8 of accounts, that in the year 1338 cannon-powder was made uƒe of in France. But be this as it may, we find from the greater part of hiƒtorians, that the uƒe of it was not eƒtabliƒhed till the long wars between Francis the 1ƒt and Charles the 5th. From the firƒt invention of powder to this period, both the machines in uƒe before that diƒcovery, and thoƒe which that diƒcovery introduced, were uƒed in war at the ƒame time; and even ƒome time after this period both ƒorts of machines were continued in uƒe. But thoƒe which ow'd their riƒe to the invention of powder have now totally ƒuperƒeded the others, and there is ƒcarce any but the ƒword remaining of all the weapons of the ancients.
Whether powder, which was at firƒt eƒteemed the moƒt pernicious and deƒtructive invention that the wit of man ever produced, has really been the cauƒe of ƒo much evil as is generally imagined, is a queƒtion eaƒily decided, if we conƒider the remark of Mr. Fontenelle, 9" that whatever renders war more ƒhort and deciƒive renders it leƒs deƒtructive and fatal, and that a much greater number muƒt perish during the long ƒeiges related in antient authors, than in thoƒe of the preƒent day, which are beyond compariƒon more short."

1. The ƒtandard of the gunpowder made for the uƒe of the government in England is, to a barrel of powder of 100 pound neat weight, 80 pound of refined ƒaltpetre, 16 pound of charcoal duƒt, and 14 pound of ƒulphur; the ƒurplus weight in the compoƒition, which is 10 pounds, is to answer the waƒte in the making. Return to paragraph text.

2. Gunpowder, for ƒome time after the invention of artillery, was not only much weaker, but uƒed in the form of fine meal, to which it was reduced by grinding the materials together; and the invention of graining it is doubtleƒs a conƒiderable advantage; for it acquires great additional ƒrength from the free paƒƒage of the fire between the grains. And yet it is uncertain whether the firƒt grinding of powder was intended to increaƒe its ƒtrength, or only to render it more convenient for filling into ƒmall charges, and charging ƒmall arms; the latter is the more probable, becauƒe the grain-powder was for a conƒiderable time applied only to that purpoƒe, and the meal-powder continued to be uƒed with cannon; the additional ƒtrength of the grain-powder ƒeems therefore to have been found out by experience, when the other was entirely diƒuƒed. Return to paragraph text.

3. Our method of making powder, as related by Chambers, is as follows.---All the ingredients are firƒt to be finely powdered, then moiƒtened with fair water, or vinegar, or ƒpirit of wine, or with water and ƒpirit of wine mixed together, or urine, which is uƒual; afterwards all muƒt be well beat for the ƒpace of 24 hours at leaƒt, and then granulated after the following manner; a sieve is to be prepared with a bottom of thick parchment made full of round holes, and the former beaten maƒs moiƒtened before-hand with twenty ounces of ƒpirit of wine, twelve of ƒpirit of wine vinegar, thirteen of ƒpirit of nitre, two of ƒpirit of ƒal armoniac, and one ounce of camphire diƒƒolved in ƒpirit of wine: and let all theƒe be mingled together. Otherwiƒe take 40 ounces of brandy, and one of camphire, and let them be mixed and diƒƒolved for the ƒaid purpoƒe: when the whole compound is made up into balls as big as eggs, put them into the ƒieve, and with them a wooden ball, which move up and down about the ƒieve, ƒo that it may break the balls of powder, and make it paƒs through the little holes in corns. Return to paragraph text.

4. The diƒtinguishing property of ƒaltpetre is the prodigious increaƒe of inflammability, which it produces in all burning ƒubƒtances, when mixed with them, although alone it will neither flame nor burn; for if put into a crucible and placed in the hotteƒt fire, it will only melt, or grow red-hot, without producing any exploƒion of flame; yet if any inflammable ƒubƒtance be thrown upon it, as ƒulphur or coals, a violent flame will be inƒtantly produced, in which a part of the ƒaltpetre will be conƒumed in proportion to the quantity of the inflammable ƒubƒtance which was put to it; and a like explosion will take place, if the ƒaltpetre be thrown on any fire. Return to paragraph text.

5. This ƒeems to be but an imperfect account of the intention and uƒe of the ƒeveral ingredients in this great compoƒition; for the quality of the ƒaltpetre, mentioned in the above note, being obƒerved, it was a very natural and obvious thought to mix it with ƒuch inflammatory ƒubƒtances, as would burn more violently than any known before. Sulphur was very likely to anƒwer this end; but it was neceƒƒary that the compoƒition ƒhould take fire eaƒily, and kindle from a ƒpark. To produce this effect, charcoal ƒeems to have been added; that it actually does anƒwer this end is evident, for a flint and ƒteel would never kindle pulverized ƒulphur or ƒaltpetre, either ƒeparate or mixt, but will preƒently light charcoal, if ground to a fine powder; from whence it appears that charcoal is the tinder, brimƒtone the match, and both together the body of that compoƒition, of ƒaltpetre is the ƒoul. Return to paragraph text.

6. It is certain that a compoƒition, much like what we now call powder, is mentioned by our countryman Roger Bacon, as well known in his time; and he lived 56 years before Schwartz. Marcus Græcus alƒo, in a treatiƒe intitled Liber ignium, preƒcribes a compoƒition for fireworks, of two pounds of charcoal, one pound of ƒulphur, and ƒix pounds of ƒaltpetre; a compoƒition much ƒtronger than many ƒorts of powder now made. See Doctor Jebb's preface to his edition of Bacon's Opus majus. Return to paragraph text.

7. Tho' Schwartz was not the firƒt inventor of powder, he might probably be the firƒt that apply'd it to military affairs. And this account of the manner of his acquiring the knowledge of its compoƒition and effect, and the figure and name of mortars given to a ƒpecies of the firƒt artillery, and the uƒe made of them which was to throw great ƒtones at an elevation, much favour this opinion. Return to paragraph text.

8. The chamber of accounts is a ƒovereign court, where accounts are rendered of all the king's revenues, inventories, and vouchers thereof regiƒtered, and other matters relating to the finances tranƒacted. Return to paragraph text.

9. Hiƒtoire de l'Academie des Sciences, ann. 1707. Return to paragraph text.

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