always fall to the bottom and fettle there in the form of a white downy matter; to prevent this, move the barrels as often as convenient, and place them on their contrary fides or ends to which they stood before; thongh great care be taken of powder, and kept as dry as poffible, yet length of time will greatly leffen its former ftrength.

• When any of the abovementioned accidents happen to your powder, you may recover it by applying to the directions here given, viz. if the powder has not received much damage proceed thus: fpread it on canvafs cloth, or dry boards, and expofe it to the fun; then add to it an equal quantity of good powder, mix them well, and when quite dry, barrel it up. If gunpowder be very bad, the method to restore it is, first to know what it weighed when good; then, by weighing it again, you will find how much it has loft by the feparation and evaporation of the faltpetre; then add to it as much refined faltpetre as it has loft in weight; but, as a large quantity would be difficult to mix, it will be neceffary to add a proportion of nitre to every twenty pounds of powder; when done, put one of these proportions into your mealing table, and grind it therein, till you have brought it to an impalpable powder; then fearce it with a fine fieve; if any remain in the fieve that will not pass through, return it to the table, and grind it again, till you have made it all fine enough to go through the fieve: being well ground and fifted, it must be made into grains thus: firft, you must have fome copper wire fieves made according to what fize you intend the grains to be; thefe are called corning fieves, or grainers; All them with the powder compofition, then shake them about, and the powder will pafs through the fieve formed into grains. Having thus corned your powder, fet it in the fun; and when quite dry, fearce it with a fine hair fieve, to separate the duft from the grains. This duft may be worked up again with another mixture; fo that none of the powder will be wasted: fometimes it may happen, that the weight of the powder when good cannot be known; in which cafe, add to each pound an ounce or an ounce and an half of faltpetre, according as the powder is decayed; then grind, fift, and granulate it, as before directed.

N. B. If a large quantity of powder is quite fpoiled, the only way is to extract the faltpetre from it, as powder thus circumftanced would be difficult to recover.

How to extract Saltpetre from damaged Gun-powder.

You must have filtering bags hung on a rack, with glazed earthen pans under them; then take any quantity of damaged powder, and put it into a copper, with as much clean water as will just cover it; and, when it begins to boil, take off the scum, and, after it has boiled a little, ftir it up; take it out of the copper with a small hand kettle, and then put fome in each bag, beginning at one end of the rack, fo that by the time you have got to the last bag, the firft will be ready for more: continue

thus

thus till all the bags are full: then take the liquor out of the pans, which boil and filter as before, two or three times, till the water runs quite clear, which you must let ftand in the pans for fome time, and the faltpetre will appear at the top.

• To get all the faltpetre entirely out of the powder, the water from the faltpetre already extracted, to which add some fresh water and the dregs of the powder that remain in the bags, and put them together in a veffel, to ftand as long as you please; and when you want to extract to nitre, you must proceed with this mixture as with the powder at firft, by which means you extract all the faltpetre: but this process must be boiled longer than the firft.'

The following fhort extract places in a ftrong light the bumanity and honourable means of carrying on the art of war.

• When you are certain the enemy will befiege you, ftop up the avenues leading to the place with bodies of large trees, &c. burn mills, cut your dikes, and drown the country if you can; drive in cattle, and bring in forage, &c. of all kinds; and laftly, fet fire to every house and place round about the garrison.

Make the inhabitants and foldiers believe that fuccours are coming to your relief, and for which purpose produce sham letters and meffengers.

Have in the enemy's camp fome faithful fpies, who may give you fecret intelligence of all their movements, by throwing into your works or other places appointed, letters tied to lead or ftones, and when you find them true and exact, reward them generously. They are cheap at any price.'

Mr. Simes then relates a few ftories of fome curious means by which places have been surprised.

A fiege, fays he, is a bufinefs of fchemes and projects; and there are numberlefs precautions which efcape the forefight of many employed upon that occafion, though a fkilful and experienced enemy may foon, perhaps, obferve them and artfully take occafions for making fome fine ftrokes: hiftory contains fuch examples, which are only rare now a-days, because we do not study them fufficiently; but an elevated genius, from a combination of ideas, depending on a thorough knowledge of the enemy's fituation, will foon find his advantage in perfectly understanding them.

A place is furprised by drains, cafe-mates, or the iffues of rivers or canals; by encumbering the bridges or gates by wag gons meeting and ftopping each other; fending foldiers into the place under pretence of deferters who on entering furprize the guard, being fuftained by troops at ambush near at hand, to whom they give admittance; foldiers fometimes dreffed like peasants, merchants, Jews, priefts, workmen, or women, and as fuch prefenting themselves at your gate are immediately admitted.

2

• Henry

Henry the Fourth of France loft Amiens, in Picardy, by a waggoner letting fall a fack of nuts, as if by accident; for while the foldiers of the guard were picking them up, the Spaniards, who had difguifed themfelves like peasants on purpose, rushed out of a house near the gate, where they had laid in ambush, put them to the fword, and carried the town.

• The blockade of Sardis by Antiochus the Great, fays he, had lafted two years, when Lagoras of Crete, a man of extenfive knowledge, put an end to it in the following manner: he confidered that the ftrongest fortifications are often taken with the greatest eafe; for the befieged in fuch places are generally neg ligent; and, trufting to the natural or artificial defences of their town, are at no pains to guard it: he knew likewife that they are often taken at the ftrongest places, from the befieged being perfuaded that their enemy will not attempt to attack them where they think themselves impregnable. Upon thefe confiderations, though he knew it univerfally believed that Sardis could not be taken by affault, and that hunger could induce its defenders to open the gates, yet he hoped to fucceed; for the knowledge of his difficulties but encreafed his zeal.

• Having perceived that a part of the wall which joined the citadel to the town, was built upon a rock extremely high and fteep; and that from thence, as into an abyfs, the people of the town threw down the carcafes of dead horfes, on which great numbers of carnivorous birds affembled daily to feed, and after having filled themselves, never failed to rest upon the top of the rock or wall, our Cretan concluded that no guard could be near it.

He went to this place, examined carefully its approach, and where to fix his ladders; having found a proper fpot for his purpofe, he informed the king of his discovery, and acquainted him with his defign. Antiochus, delighted with the project, advised Lagoras to purfue it, and granted him two officers, whom he afked for, as people poffeffed of qualities necessary for affifting him.

These three, on confultation, refolved to execute their project the next night, at the end of which there was no moon; that being come, they chofe fifteen of their ftouteft and braveft men to carry ladders, fcale the walls, and run the fame risk that they did they likewife took thirty others, and placed them in ambush in the ditch, to affift those who fcaled the wall in breaking down a gate; at which two thousand more from the king were to enter: Antiochus favoured their enterprize by marching the rest of his army to the oppofite fide: Lagoras and his people approached foftly with their ladders, and having fcaled the rock, they broke open the gate, let in the two thousand, cut the throats of all they met, and fet fire to the houses; fo that the town was pillaged and ruined in an inftant.

Young officers who read this account, ought to reflect on this attack: the penetration of Lagoras, in making his dif

covery;

covery; his attention in going himself to examine the proper places for fixing his ladders; his difcernment in the choice of officers and foldiers to fupport him; and the harmony of the whole means which were employed on that occafion, afford very excellent leffons for any officers who may attempt such ata tacks.

Though stupendous rocks may be thought inacceffible by the befieged, yet this is a proof that none are infurmountable to Luch penetrating geniuses as Antiochus's engineer.

Captain Vedel was once detached to a village where the cus rate of the parish had obtained leave from the commanding-officer to make a proceffion of the penitents of a neighbouring convent to a chapel in the village which he named; alledging that it was an annual cuftom; but the captain being aftonished to fee that fuch a numerous proceffion could be compofed of devotees, beat to arms, and having drawn up his party of fifty men, difconcerted their fcheme; for many in the proceffion, which he stopped, were found to be peasants, armed with piftols and fwords, whom the commanding-officer, upon being informed of his difcovery, caufed immediately to be hanged with the cu rate and feveral of the penitents..

In 1708, M. de Schower furprifed Benevarvi in Spain, by the Spaniards neglecting the guard of an old castle at the entrance of the place, which he feized by a forced march in the night, and then detached feveral parties to attack the town a the garrifon, confufed by fuch a vifit, fought for fafety in flight, and ran to take fhelter in the citadel; but were fcarcely entered before they were made prifoners; the enemy fucceeded by the garrifon's fufpecting no danger.

Counterfeiting a route from their prince or general for the marching in of troops, under pretence of reinforcing the garrifon, and to prevent a difcovery, they put in practice the fol lowing stratagem:

They fix upon a perfon of the fame country as of those who compofe the garrifon, dreffed in an officer's uniform of the fame pattern as thofe of their own troops; who rides up to the bartier, afks for the officer of the guard, and having fhewn him the route, defires as a favour, his permiffion for the men to march in directly, as they are very much fatigued, and that they will remain about the guard-room door till he has received the gover nor or commandant's orders concerning them,

The officer not fufpecting but they were friends, complied with the requeft; upon which they marched in, feized the guard, and immediately fent detachments to take poffeffion of the other gates; while the main body marched in at the fame time, furprised the troops in barracks and quarters, made the governor or commandant prifoner, and put all to the fword who made the least refiftance, or fired out of windows, &c.'

VOL. XLVI. Qober, 1778.

U

A Treas

A Treatise on Practical Seamanship, &c. by W. Hutchinfon. 40. 12s. 6d. Boards. Richardson and Urquhart.

IN

N the addrefs prefixed to this work, the author gives the following modeft account of his undertaking.

This Treatife on Practical Seamanship, with hints and remarks relating thereto, as mentioned in the contents, is humbly addreffed to all whom the different parts moftly concern; but more especially to young fea officers,, who ufe their utmost endeavours, under Providence, to make the knowledge and dif charge of their duty in their ftations, the principal pleasure and purfuit of their time, which may make them a benefit and not a burden to their country, their friends, and themselves, in their voyage through life.

It must be allowed, that the improvement of our fhips, and the management of them, for many years past, has given that remarkable fuperiority British feamen have over others, on all important occafions. Yet I have learned from experience, that this art of feamanship, and its importance, is not fo generally understood amongst us as it deferves, for one trading part of the nation has, by their practice, the experience the other

wants.

• Some men are fo devoted to the methods they have been accustomed to, that they cannot be prevailed upon to try another; others endeavour to try, impracticable methods, and attempt to make hips do impoffibilities, fuch as to back them aftern clear of a fingle anchor, when the wind is right against the windward tide, that drives them to windward of their anchors; or to back a fhip with fails fo fet as to prevent her from fhooting a head towards a danger when laid to, or driving broad fide with the wind right against the tide, not knowing that a flip driving on either tack will always fhoot and advance bodily forward, the way her head lies, in fpite of any fails that can be set aback; all which, I truft, will be fhewn in their proper place in the following work.

Not only the above inftances, (by which I have known ships go on fhore,) but the whole duty and conduct of fea officers, as far as mentioned in this book, has hitherto been left entirely to the flow progress of experience, by which they, and all concerned with them, are conftantly liable to be great fufferers by miftaken practices in feamanship.

Frequent obfervations of this defect, induced me to endeavour to fix the best rules of practical feamanship, that feamer may not be left entirely to learn their duty by their own and other people's misfortunes, which has been the cafe hitherto, but by the experience of others who have gone before them. From all that I have seen, in the many different trades that I have been employed in, thofe feamen in the coal and coafting trade, to the city of London, are the most perfect in working and managing

6

their