off, and stir it very quick till cold, when you must roll it on a board with a wooden roller, till you have broke it as fine as corn powder; after which sift from it as much of the brimstone as you can. There is another method of preparing filings, so as to keep two or three inonths in winter; this may be done by rubbing them between the strongest sort of brown paper, which before has been moistened with linseed oil. If the brimstone should take fire, you may put it out, by covering the pan close at top: it is not of much signification what quantity of brimstone you use, so that there is enough to give each grain of iron a coat; but as much as will cover the bottom of a pan of about 1 foot diameter, will do for 5 or 6 pound of filings, or cast-iron for gerbes.

To drive or ram Sky-rockets, &c.-Rockets drove over a piercer must not have so much composition put in them at a time as when drove solid; for the piercer, taking up a great part of the bore of the case, would cause the rammer to rise too high; so that the pressure of it would not be so great on the composition, nor would it be drove everywhere equal. To prevent this, observe the following rule:---For those rockets which are rammed over a piercer, let the ladle hold as much composition as, when drove, will raise the drift the interior diameter of the case, and for those drove solid to contain as much as will raise it the exterior diameter of the case: ladles are generally made to go easyin the case, and the length of the scoop is about 1 of its own diameter.

The charge of rockets must always be drove 1 diameter above the piercer, and on it must be rammed of a diameter of clay through the middle of which bore a small hole to the composition, that, when the charge is burnt to the top, it may communicate its fire, through the hole, to the stars in the head. Great care must be taken to strike with the mallet, and with an equal force, the same number of strokes to each ladleful of charge; otherwise the rockets will not rise with an uniform motion, nor will the composition burn equal and regular: for which reason they cannot carry a proper tail; for it will break before the rocket has got half way up, instead of reaching from the ground to the top, where the rocket breaks and disperses the stars, rains, or whatever is contained in the head. When you are ramming, keep the drift constantly turning or moving; and when you use the hollow rammers, knock out of them the composition now and then, or the piercer will split them. To a rocket of 4 oz. give to each ladie-full of charge 16 strokes; to a rocket of 1 lb. 28; to a 2 pounder, 36; to a 4-pounder, 42; and to a 6-pounder, 56: but rockets of a larger sort cannot be drove well by hand, but must be rammed with a machine made in the same manner as those for driving piles.

The method of ramming of wheel-cases, or any other sort, in which the charge is drove solid, is much the same as sky-rockets; for the same proportion may be observed in the ladle, and the same number of strokes given, according to their diameters, all cases being distinguished by their diameters. In this manner, a case, whose bore is equal to a rocket of 4 oz. is called a 4-oz. case, and that which is equal to an 8-oz. rocket an 8-oz. case, and so on, according to the different rockets. Having taught the method of ramming cases in moulds, we shall here say something concerning those filled without moulds; which method, for strong pasted cases, will do extremely well, and save the expence of making so many moulds. The reader must here observe,

when he fills any sort of cases, to place the mould on a perpendicular block of wood, and not on any place that is hollow; for we have found by experience, that when cases were rammed on driving benches, which were formerly used, the works frequently miscarried, on account of the hollow resistance of the benches, which often jarred and loosened the charge in the cases; but this accident never happens when the driving blocks are used.

When cases are to be filled without moulds, proceed thus: Have some nipples made of brass or iron, of several sorts and sizes, in proportion to the cases, and to screw or fix in the top of the driving block; when you have fixed in a nipple, make, at about 1 inch from it, a square hole in the block, six inches deep and one inch diameter; then have a piece of wood, 6 inches longer than the case intended to be filled, and 2 inches square; on one side of it cut a groove almost the length of the case, whose breadth and depth must be sufficient to cover near the case; then cut the other end to fit the hole in the block, but take care to cut it so that the groove may be of a proper distance from the nipple; this half-mould being made and fixed tight in the block, cut, in another piece of wood nearly of the same length as the case, a groove of the same dimensions as that in the fixed piece; then put the case on the nipple, and with a cord tie it and the 2 half-moulds together, and your case will be ready for filling.

The dimensions of the above-described half-moulds are proportionable for cases of 8 ounces; but notice must be taken, that they differ in size in proportion to the cases. The clay, mentioned in this article, must be prepared after this manner :-Get some clay, in which there is no stones nor sand, and bake it in an oven till quite dry; then take it out and beat it to a powder, and afterwards sift it through a common hair-sieve, and it will be fit for use.

Proportion of Mallets.-The best wood for mallets is dry beech. If a person uses a mallet of a moderate size, in proportion to the rocket, according to his judgment, and if the rocket succeeds, he may depend on the rest, by using the same mallet; yet it will be necessary that cases of different sorts be drove with mallets of different sizes.

The following proportion of the mallets for rockets of any size, from 1 oz. to 6 lb. may be observed; but as rockets are seldom made less than oz. or larger than 6 lb. we shall leave the management of them to the curious; but all cases under 1 oz. may be rammed with a 1 oz. rocket-mallet. Your mallets will strike more solid, by having their handles turned out of the same piece as the head, and made in a cylindrical form. Let their dimensions be worked by the diameters of the rockets: for example, let the thickness of the head be 3 diameters, and its length 4, and the length of the handle 5 diameters, whose thickness must be in proportion to the hand.

Manner of heading Rockets. When the collar is to be glued on the rocket, you must cut two or three rounds of paper off the case, which will make a shoulder for it to rest upon. Two or three rounds of paper well pasted will be enough for the head, which, when rolled, put the collar on, which must fit the inside of it; then, with the pinching cord pinch the bottom of the head into the groove, and tie it with small twine. To make the caps, cut your paper in round pieces, equal in diameter to twice the length of the cone you intend to make; which pieces being cut into halves, will make two caps each, without wasting

any paper; having formed the caps, paste over each of them a thin white paper, which must be a little longer than the cone, so as to project about an inch below the bottom: this projection of paper, being notched and pasted, serves to fasten the cap to the head.

When you load the heads of your rockets, with stars, rains, serpents, crackers, scrolls, or any thing else, according to your fancy, remember always to put 1 ladleful of meal powder into each head, which will be enough to burst the head, and disperse the stars, or whatever it contains when the heads are loaded with any sort of cases, let their mouths be placed downwards; and after the heads are filled, paste on the top of them a piece of paper, before you put on the caps. As the size of the stars often differ, it would be needless to give an exact number for each rocket; but this rule may be observed, that the heads may be nearly filled with whatever they are loaded.

Decorations for Sky-rockets.—Sky-rockets bearing the pre-eminence of all fire-works, it will not be improper to treat of their various kinds of decorations, which are directed according to fancy. Some are headed with stars of different sorts, such as tailed, brilliant, white, blue, and yellow stars, &c. some with gold and silver rain; others with serpents, crackers, firescrolls, marrons; and some with small rockets, and many other devices, as the maker pleases.

The last column on the right, in the above table, expresses the distance from the top of the cone, where the stick, when tied on, should balance the rocket, so as to stand in an equlibrium on one's finger or the edge of a knife. The best wood for the sticks is dry deal, made thus: When you have cut and planed the sticks according to the dimensions given in the table, cut, on one of the flat sides at the top, a groove the length of the rocket, and as broad as the stick will allow; then, on the opposite flat side, cut two notches for the cord, which ties on the rocket, to lie in; one of these notches must be near the top of the stick, and the other facing the neck of the rockets; the distance between these notches may easily be known, for the top of the stick should always touch the head of the rocket. When your rockets and sticks are ready, lay the rockets in the grooves in the sticks, and tie them on. Those who, merely for curiosity, may choose to make rockets

of different sizes from those expressed in the table of dimensions, may find the length of their sticks, by making them, for rockets from oz. to 1 lb. 60 diameters of the rocket long; and for rockets above 1 lb. 50 or 52 diameters will be a good length; their thickness at top may be about a diameter, and their breadth a very little more; their square at bottom is generally equal to the thickness at the top. But, although the dimensions of the sticks be very nicely observed, you must depend only on their balance; for, without a proper counterpoise, your rockets, instead of mounting perpendicularly, will take an oblique direction, and fall to the ground before they are burnt out.

To load Air-Balloons; with the number of Stars, Serpents, Snakes, Rain-Falls, &c. in shells of each nature.

Mortars to throw Aigrettes, &c.—When you fill your shells, you must first put in the serpents, rains, stars, &c. or whatever they are composed of; then the blowing powder; but the shells must not be quite filled. All those things must be put in at the fuze hole; but marrons, being too large to go in at the fuze hole, must be put in before the inside shell be joined. When the shells are loaded, glue and drive in the fuzes very tight. For a cohorn balloon, let the diameter of the fuze hole be of an inch; for a royal balloon, which is near 5 inches diameter, make the fuze hole 1 inch diameter; for an 8 inch balloon, 13 inch; and for a 10-inch balloon, 11⁄2 inch.

Air-balloons are divided into 4 sorts; viz. first, illuminated balloons; second, balloons of serpents; third, balloons of reports, marrons, and crackers; and fourth, compound balloons. The number and quantities of each article for the different shells are as follow:

Cohorn Balloons illuminated.—Meal powder one ounce and a half; corn powder half an ounce; powder for the mortar, two ounces. Length of the fuze composition, of an inch; one ounce drove or rolled stars, as many as will nearly fill the shell.

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Cohorn Balloon of Serpents.-Meal powder one ounce and a quarter; corn powder one ounce; powder for the mortar two ounces and a quarter. Length of the fuze composition of an inch: half-ounce cascs drove 3 diameters and bounced 3 diameters, and half-ounce cases drove 2 diameters and bounced 4, of each an equal quantity, and as many of them as will fit in easily placed head to tail.

Cohorn Balloons of Crackers and Reports.-Meal powder one ounce and a quarter; corn powder, three quarters of an ounce; powder for the mortar two ounces. Length of the fuze composition of an inch. Reports 4, and crackers of 6 bounces as many as will fill the shell.

Compound Cohorn Balloons.-Meal powder one ounce and four drams; corn powder twelve drams; powder for the mortar two ounces and four drams. Length of the fuze composition of an inch: ounce cases drove 34 diameters and bounced 2, 16; ounce cases drove four diameters and not bounced 10; blue strung stars, 10; rolled stars, as many as will complete the balloon.

Royal Balloons illuminated.-Meal powder one ounce and eight drams; corn powder twelve drams; powder for the mortar three ounces. Length of the fuze composition of an inch; 2 ounce strung stars, 34; rolled stars, as many as the shell will contain, allowing room for the fuze.

Royal Balloons of Serpents.--Meal powder one ounce; corn powder one ounce and eight drams; powder for the mortar three ounces and eight drams. Length of the fuze composition 1 inch; 1 ounce cases drove 3 and 4 diameters, and bounced 2, of each an equal quantity, sufficient to load the shell.

Royal Balloons with Crackers and Marrons.-Meal powder one ounce and eight drams; corn powder one ounce and four drams; powder for firing the mortar three ounces. Length of the fuze composition of an inch; reports 12, and completed with crackers of 8 bounces.

Compound Royal Balloons.-Meal powder one ounce and five drams; corn powder one ounce and six drams; powder for the mortar three ounces and twelve drams. Length of the fuze composition 1 inch : ounce cases drove and bounced 2 diameters, 8; 2 ounce cases filled of an inch with star composition, and bounced 2 diameters, 8; silver rain-falls, 10; 2 ounce tailed stars, 16; rolled brilliant stars, 30. If this should not be sufficient to load the shell, you may complete it with gold rain-falls.

Eight-Inch Balloons illuminated.—Meal powder two ounces and eight drams; corn powder one ounce and four drams; powder for the mortar nine ounces. Length of the fuze composition 1 inch : 2 ounce drove stars, 48; 2 ounce cases drove with star composition of an inch, and bounced 3 diameters, 12; and the balloon completed with 2 ounce drove brilliant stars.

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Eight-Inch Balloons of Serpents.-Meal powder two ounces; corn powder two ounces; powder for the mortar nine ounces and eight drams. Length of the fuze composition 1 inch : 2 ounce cases drove 1 diameter and bounced 2, and 1 ounce cases drove 2 diame. ters and bounced 24, of each an equal quantity sufficient for the shell. The star-composition driven in bounced cases must be managed thus: First, the cases must be pinched close at one end, then the corn-powder put in for a report, and the case pinched again close to the powder, only leaving a small vent for the star composition, which is drove at top, to communicate to the powder at the bounce end.

Compound Eight-Inch Balloons.-Meal powder two ounces and eight drams; corn powder one ounce and twelve drams; powder for the mortar nine ounces and four drams. Length of the fuze composition : 4 ounce cases drove with star composition of an inch, and bounced 3 diameters, 16; 2 ounce tailed stars, 16; 2 ounce drove brilliant stars, 12; silver rain-falls, 20; 1 ounce drove blue stárs, 20; and 1 ounce cases drove and bounced 2 diameters, as many as will fill the shell.

Another of Eight-Inches.-Meal powder two ounces and eight drams; corn powder one ounce and twelve drams; powder for the mortar nine ounces and four drams. Length of the fuze composition 1 inch : crackers of 6 reports, 10; gold rains, 14; 2 ounce cases drove with star composition of an inch, and bounced 2 diameters, 16; 2 ounce tailed stars, 16; 2 ounce drove brilliant stars, 12; silver rains, 10; 1 ounce drove blue stars, 20; and 1 ounce cases drove with a brilliant charge 2 diameters and bounced 3, as many as the shell will hold. A Compound Ten-Inch Balloon.—Meal powder three ounces and four drams; corn powder two ounces and eight drams; powder for the mortar twelve ounces and eight drams. Length of the fuze composi tion of an inch: 1 ounce cases drove and bounced 3 diameters, 16;