| Meal-powder, | 1 lb. | 4 oz. |
| Saltpetre, | 6 — | |
| Sulphur, | 1 — | 8 oz. |
There is also another composition, which might be used advantageously for the same purpose, and which is employed for hoops, fire-arrows, and lances, namely:
Composition for Hoops, Fire-Arrows, &c.
| Meal-powder, | 1 lb. |
| Saltpetre, | 3 — |
| Sulphur, | 8 oz. |
| Linseed oil, | 8 — |
The composition of kitt, used for the last covering of carcasses, may also be employed. It must be applied when very thin and hot.
Composition of Kitt.
| Rosin, | 9 lbs. |
| Bees' wax, | 6 — |
| Pitch, | 6 — |
| Tallow, | 1 — |
Sec. XVIII. On Infernal Machines.
The Machines Infernales of the French, which have excited so much attention in Europe, we deem of sufficient importance to describe.
This invention is by no means new, although it has been attributed to the French. It appears that Fredric Jambelli, an Italian engineer, was the first that used them, when Alexander, of Parma, besieged Antwerp. The Prince of Orange likewise had recourse to the destructive effects of an infernal machine, in order to bombard Havre-de-Grace, and to set it on fire. The Dutch and English, in conjunction, attempted to destroy St. Malo by the same means. The first instance, however, upon record, in which the French made use of this machine, was when Louis XIV ordered a vessel, carrying an enormous shell, full of every kind of combustible matter, to be despatched to Algiers, for the purpose of demolishing its harbour. This, it is supposed, suggested the use of fire-ships, which have frequently been used against maritime places.