This seems rather to indicate that the elaboration if not the first introduction of chlorate of potash into pyrotechny may be attributed to this country.
His mention of ten distinguishable tints, however, is somewhat optimistic. During the late war it was found that to avoid any chance of a mistake in code signals only three colours could be used for long-distance signalling, namely, red, green, and white.
It is curious that Meyer makes a mistake over the first composition he mentions. He describes a light composition of chlorate of potash and sugar, which he says burns with a red light. In fact, however, the light so produced is a bluish white, similar to the so-called blue shipping light.
The directions he gives for the preparation of other colours are as follows:
“A powder which burns with a green flame is obtained by the addition of nitrate of baryta to chlorate of potash, nitrate of copper, acetate of copper.
“A white flame is made by the addition of sulphide of antimony, sulphide of arsenic, camphor.
“Red by the mixture of lampblack, coal, bone ash, mineral oxide of iron, nitrate of strontia, pumice stone, mica, oxide of cobalt.
“Blue with ivory, bismuth, alum, zinc, copper sulphate purified of its sea water (sic).
“Yellow by amber, carbonate of soda, sulphate of soda, cinnabar.
“It is necessary in order to make the colours come out well to animate the combustion by adding chlorate of potash.”