FIFEWORKS [sic] were much more uƒed by the antients in the attack and defence of places, than at preƒent.---The great and violent effects of our cannon, mortars and mines, which nothing can reƒiƒt, ƒeem to have been the cauƒe of our neglecting many uƒeful and ingenious contrivances of the antients, uƒed reciprocally, to diƒtreƒs the enemy, both by the beƒieged and beƒiegers. Although they had not the uƒe of powder, they made uƒe of fire in almoƒt an infinite number of different ways. The invention of powder, and its uƒe, furniƒh many eaƒy methods of incommoding an enemy by fireworks. It is not our preƒent purpoƒe to treat of all the compoƒitions which may be made with gunpowder to annoy an enemy, but of the principal only, and thoƒe moƒt commonly uƒed.
        The chief of theƒe compoƒitions are the fire-pot, the fire-ball, thundering-barrels, tarred faggots, the thundering heriƒƒon, or hedge-hog, torteaux, or torches, powder-ƒacks, grenado-balls, bomb-balls, and pebble-balls.
        The fire-pot is nothing but an earthen pot with two handles, in which is put a charged grenado, and all the reƒt of the cavity filled with fine powder; it is covered with parchment or ƒheepskins, a match is faƒtened croƒs-ways on the pot, and another to its handles, which are lighted when the pot is to be thrown. This pot when it is thrown falls to the ground, and breaks to pieces, the matches at the ƒame time firing the powder, and this again firing the grenado, the whole breaks into ƒplinters, which cauƒes much diƒorder among the troops where the pot falls.
        Fire-balls are either round or oval, filled with different compoƒitions, all difficult to be extinguiƒhed. Theƒe are thrown to a great diƒtance with a mortar, and ƒome of a leƒs ƒize are thrown by hand like granadoes.' [sic] Their uƒe is to give a light, by which an enemy may be diƒcovered in the night, and fired upon with more certainty; they are alƒo made uƒe of to fire magazines of forage, and houƒes in a town which is attacked. And to prevent any one from coming near them, and attempting to extinguiƒh the fire, they are filled, in the ƒame manner as carcaƒƒes, with grenadoes, and ƒmall ends of musket barrels, charged with bullets, which keep at a diƒtance thoƒe who might otherwiƒe throw ƒomething upon this firework to prevent its effect.
        Thundering-barrels are common barrels, or casks, filled with a compoƒition, and rolled upon the works of an enemy, in order to ƒet them on fire, and drive him from the place intended to be attacked.
        This firework is ƒometimes nothing but a barrel of common powder, in which a fuƒe is inƒerted, and fired before the barrel is rolled towards the enemy; this fuse fires the powder in the barrel, which by its exploƒion cauƒes great diƒorder among the troops where it takes effect.
        The tarred faggot, or faƒcine, is a kind of common faggot very well ƒoaked in tarr, and which, like the thundering-barrel, ƒerves to burn the works upon which it is thrown.
        The thundering hedge-hog is little other than a kind of thundering-barrel, and differs from it only in being thick ƒet with points on the outƒide. As theƒe points hinder it from rolling, it is moved upon two wheels, by means of a piece of wood that paƒƒes through it tranƒverƒly, and ƒerves for the axis or axle-tree of the wheels.
        The torches conƒiƒt of old cords, or old match untwiƒted, and well ƒteeped in tarr. Their uƒe is to illuminate in the night the inƒide of foƒƒes, or other parts of the fortification of a place attacked.
        Powder-ƒacks are bags made of a very coarƒe, dry cloth, which contain about 4 or 5 pounds of powder, and are ƒo made as to be thrown by hand like the grenada; into theƒe a fuƒe is introduced, which is tied very tight together with the mouth of the bag, and the whole is then well tarred. Theƒe ƒacks, or bags, ƒet fire to every thing where they fall, and may be uƒed to great advantage in the defence of a place. Great uƒe was made of them in the defence of Doway, in 1710.
        Powder-ƒacks are alƒo thrown with the mortar, but then they are made much larger than thoƒe thrown by hand, being about 10 inches in diameter, and about 22 or 23 inches long. They are filled with powder as the former, but a bomb of about 6 inches diameter is put in beƒides, being placed at the bottom of the ƒack, to prevent the ƒack from falling on its fuƒe, which might ƒtifle it, and ƒo prevent its firing the powder in the ƒack. The fuƒes, made uƒe of for theƒe ƒacks, are the ƒame with thoƒe uƒed for bombs of 12 inches diameter. This ƒack is then ƒteeped or ƒoaked in melted pitch and tarr, after which it is put into another ƒack, or bag, of 11 inches diameter, and about 25 or 26 inches long, which laƒt ƒack is alƒo ƒteeped or ƒoaked in melted pitch and tarr, the fuƒe being firƒt carefully fattened to it; laƒtly, the whole is dipped in water, to prevent it from ƒticking to the places where they are kept for uƒe.
        There are alƒo grenado-balls, bomb-balls, and pebble-balls, of which ƒomething muƒt be ƒaid.
        Grenado-balls are, in ƒome reƒpects, the ƒame with the powder-ƒacks. They are filled by putting in firƒt one or two pounds of powder at the bottom of the bag, with a grenado; this firƒt layer, or bed, is covered with four grenadoes, and the intervals between them are then filled up with powder, and they are covered with a layer of powder, as the former, upon which four other grenadoes are laid, in the ƒame manner as the firƒt; four different layers of powder and grenadoes are thus made alternately, which ought to fill the bag, leaving only room ƒufficient to tie it up at the mouth, into which a fuƒe is inƒerted, and ƒtrongly bound up with it; after which the whole is firƒt dipped into pitch or tarr, and put into another ƒack, which is firƒt dipped, as the former, into pitch or tarr, and then into water, like the powder-ƒack, and for the ƒame reaƒon; the fuƒes of the grenadoes contained in this bag are covered with etoupelles, which is a kind of match, conƒiƒting of three threads of the fineƒt cotton, well ƒoaked in brandy, and priming or pounded powder, the fire of which inƒtantly communicates itƒelf to all parts, and by this means the grenadoes are more certainly fired than if covered with powder only.
        Bomb-balls are alƒo made in the ƒame manner as thoƒe of grenadoes; a bomb is firƒt put at the bottom of a bag, and a bed or layer of three bombs, and a bed or layer of powder are laid in alternately. Theƒe bombs are ƒix inches diameter, and two or three layers of them are contained in a ball.
        Pebble-balls are alƒo made in the ƒame manner as the grenado and bomb-balls, but in theƒe, inƒtead of grenadoes and bombs, pebbles are made uƒe of; and theƒe balls are contrived ƒo as to burƒt in the air, that the pebbles they are filled with may fall like hail upon the places deƒigned. Theƒe balls have nearly the ƒame effect as the pedrero, and are even more dangerous to the enemy, becauƒe they may be uƒed with much more readineƒs and ƒpeed.
        All thefe ƒorts of balls are thrown with the mortar.
        Beƒides the different kinds of fireworks already mentioned, two
new inventions were uƒed at Liƒle in the gallant defence of that place made by marƒhal Bouflers. One of theƒe, as related by M. Quincy in his account of that famous liege, was a tin-box, covered with a plank, in which were put cloths dipped in tarr, pitch and brimƒtone. When the box opened, theƒe cloths taking fire, and extending, burnt without reƒource whomƒoever they fell upon, who found it impoƒƒible to diƒengage themfelves when theƒe cloths had once faƒtned on their apparel, without ƒtripping themƒelves immediately.
        The other invention was an earthen pan, or pot, in the ƒhape of a paƒty or pye, filled with grenadoes, ƒtuck round with iron ƒpikes, which penetrates whatƒoever is in its way.