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Aquatic others; so that when she sails out, she will be between Fireworks the other ships: you must not let this ship advance till the guns at her ports take fire.

147 To fire skyLockets un

To fire sky-rockets under water, you must have stands made as usual, only the rails must be placed flat instead der water. of edgewise, and have holes in them for the rocketsticks to go through; for if they were hung upon hooks, the motion of the water would throw them off: the stands being made, if the pond is deep enough, sink them at the sides so deep, that, when the rockets are in, their heads may just appear above the surface of the water; to the month of each rocket fix a leader, which put through the hole with the stick; then a little above the water must be a board, supported by the stand, and placed along one side of the rockets; then the ends of the leaders are turned up through holes made in this board, exactly opposite the rockets. By this means you may fire them singly or all at once. Rockets may be fired by this method in the middle of a pond, by a Neptune, a swan, a water-wheel, or any thing else you choose.

Fig. 70.

148 Neptune in To represent Neptune in his chariot, you must have a his charist. Neptune (made of wood, or basket work) as big as life, fixed on a float large enough to bear his weight; on which must be two horses heads and necks, so as to seem swimming, as shown by fig. 70. For the wheels of the chariot, there must be two vertical wheels of black fire, and on Neptune's head a horizontal wheel of brilliant fire, with all its cases, to play upwards. When this wheel is made, cover it with paper or pasteboard, cut and painted like Neptune's coronet; then let the trident be made without prongs, but instead of them, fix three cases of a weak gray charge, and on each horse's head put an eight ounce case of brilliant fire, and on the mouth of each fix a short case, of the same diameter, filled with the white-flame composition enough to last out all the cases on the wheels: these short cases must be open at bottom, that they may light the brilliant fires; for the horses eyes put small portfires, and in each nostril put a small case half filled with gray charge, and the rest with portfire composition.

149

Swans and

ducks in water.

If Neptune is to give fire to any building on the water; at his first setting out, the wheels of the chariot, and that on his head, with the white flames on the horses heads, and the portfires in their eyes and nostrils, must all be lighted at once; then from the bottom of the white flames carry a leader to the trident. As Neptune is to advance by the help of a block and cord, you must manage it so as not to let him turn about, till the brilliant fires on the horses and the trident begin; for it is by the fire from the horses (which plays almost upright) that the building, or work, is lighted; which must be thus prepared. From the mouth of the case which is to be first fired, hang some loose quick-match to receive the fire from the horses. When Neptune is only to be shown by himself, without setting fire to any other works, let the white flames on the horses be very short, and not to last longer than one case of each wheel, and let two cases of each wheel burn at a time.

If you would have swans or ducks discharge rockets into the water, they must be made hollow, and of paper, and filled with small water rockets, with some blowing powder to throw them out: but if this is not done, they may be made of wood, which will last many times. Having made and painted some swans, fix them VOL. XVII. Part II.

t

of Fireworks.

on floats then in the places where their eyes should be, Optical bore holes two inches deep, inclining downwards, and Imitations wide enough to receive a small portfire; the portfire cases for this purpose must be made of brass, two inches long, and filled with a slow bright charge. In the middle of one of these cases make a little hole; then put the portfire in the eye-hole of the swan, leaving about half an inch to project out; and in the other eye put another portfire, with a hole made in it: then in the neck of the swan, within two inches of one of the eyes, bore a hole slantwise, to meet that in the portfire; in this hole put a leader, and carry it to a water-rocket, that must be fixed under the tail with its mouth upwards. On the top of the head place two one-ounce cases, four inches long each, drove with brilliant fire; one of these cases must incline forwards, and the other backwards: these must be lighted at the same time as the water-rocket; to do which, bore a hole between them in the top of the swan's head, down to the hole in the portfire, to which carry a leader: if the swan is filled with rockets, they must be fired by a pipe from the end of the waterrocket under the tail. When you set the swan a swimming, light the two eyes.

150

To make a fire-fountain for the water, first have a Water firefloat made of wood, three feet diameter; then in the fountains. middle fix a round perpendicular post, four feet high, and two inches diameter; round this post fix three circular wheels made of thin wood, without any spokes. The largest of these wheels must be placed within two or three inches of the float, and must be nearly of the same diameter. The second wheel must be two feet two inches diameter, and fixed at two feet distance from the first. The third wheel must be one foot four inches diameter, and fixed within six inches of the top of the post: the wheels being fixed, take 18 four or eight-ounce cases of brilliant fire, and place them round the first wheel with their mouths ontwards, and inclining downwards; on the second wheel place 13 cases of the same, and in the same manner as those on the first; on the third, place eight more of these cases, in the same manner as before, and on the top of the post fix a gerbe; then clothe all the cases with leaders, so that both they and the gerbe may take fire at the same time. Before firing this work, try it in the water to see whether the float is properly made, so as to keep the fountain upright.

151

As the artificial fire-works which we have described, Optical imirequire considerable caution in their preparation and ma- tations of nagement, and are attended with great expence, at- fire-works. tempts have been made to imitate some of the more simple kinds by optical delusion, and to give to the objects represented the appearance of moving fire, though they be really fixed, and no fire be employed. These attempts have been tolerably successful; and by means of this invention, a spectacle of artificial fire-works may be apparently exhibited at a trifling expence; and if the pieces employed are constructed with ingenuity, and with a proper attention to the rules of perspective, while in viewing them we employ glasses which magnify the objects, and prevent them from being too distinctly seen, a very agreeable illusion will be produced.

The artificial fire-works imitated with most success by this invention, are fixed suns, gerbes, and jets of fire, cascades, globes, pyramids, and columns, moveable around their axes. To represent a gerbe of fire, take 4 C

paper

works.

Fig. 71.

Optical paper blackened on both sides, and very opaque; and Imitations having delineated on a piece of white paper the figure of Fire of a gerbe of bre, apply it to the black paper, and with the point of a very sharp penknife make several slashes (Plate CCCCLVII. fig. 71.) in it, as 3, 5, or 7, proceeding from the origin of the gerbe: these lines must not be continued, but cut through at unequal intervals. Pierce these intervals with unequal holes made with a pinking iron, in order to represent the sparks of such a gerbe. In short, you must endeavour to paint, by these lines and holes, the well known effect of the fire of inflamed gunpowder, when it issues through a small aper

ture.

According to the same principles, you may delineate the cascades (fig. 72.) and jets of fire which you are desirous of introducing into this exhibition, which is purely optical; and those jets of fire which proceed from the radii of suns, either fixed or moveable. It may easily be conceived, that in this operation taste must be the guide.

If you are desirous of representing globes, pyramids, or revolving columns, draw the outlines of them on paper, and then cut them out in a helical form; that is, cut out spirals with the point of a penknife, and of a size proportioned to that of the piece.

As

It is to be observed also, that as these different pieces have different colours, they may be easily imitated by pasting on the back of the paper, cut as here described, very fine silk paper coloured in the proper manner. jets, for example, when loaded with Chinese fire, give a reddish light, you must paste to the back of these jets transparent paper, slightly tinged with red; and proceed in the same manner in regard to the other colours by which the different fire-works are distinguished.

When these preparations have been made, the next thing is to give motion, or the appearance of motion, to this fire, which may be done two ways, according to

circumstances.

I a jet of fire, for example, is to be represented, prick unequal holes, and at unequal distances from each other, in a band of paper, fig. 73. and then move this band, making it ascend between a light and the above jet; the rays of light which escape through the holes of the moveable paper will exhibit the appearance of sparks rising into the air. It is to be observed that one part of the paper must be whole; that another must be pierced with holes thinly scattered; that in another place they must be very close, and then moderately so by these means it will represent those sudden jets of fire observed in fire-works.

To represent a cascade, the paper pierced with holes, instead of moving upwards, must be made to descend.

This motion may be easily produced by means of two rollers, on one of which the paper is rolled up, while it is unrolled from the other.

Suns are attended with some more difficulty; because in these it is necessary to represent fire, proceeding from the centre to the circumference. The artifice for this purpose is as follows.

On strong paper describe a circle, equal in diameter to the sun which you are desirous to exhibit, or even somewhat larger; then trace out on this circle two spirals, at the distance of a line or half a line from each other, and open the interval between them with a penknife, in such a manner, that the paper may be cut

of Fireworks

from the circumference, decreasing in breadth to a cer- Optical tain distance from the centre, fig. 74.: cut the remain- Imitations der of the circle into spirals of the same kind, open and close alternately; then cement the paper circle to a small iron hoop, supported by two pieces of iron, crossing each other in its centre, and adjust the whole to a small machine, which will suffer it to revolve round its centre. If this moveable paper circle, cut in this manner, be placed before the representation of your sun, with a light behind it, as soon as it is made to move towards that side to which the convexity of the spirals is turned, the luminous spirals, or those which afford a passage to the light, will give, on the image of the radii or jets of fire of your sun, the appearance of fire in continual motion, as if undulating from the centre to the circumference.

The appearance of motion may be given to columns, pyramids, and globes, cut through in the manner above described, by moving in a vertical direction a band of paper cut through into apertures, inclined at an angle rather different from that of the spirals. By these means the spectators will suppose that they see fire continually circulating and ascending along the spirals; and thus will be produced an optical illusion, in consequence of which the columns or pyramids will seem to revolve.

We have thus briefly explained the principle on which artificial fire-works may be imitated; and as the taste of the artist may suggest to him many circumstances which may improve the representation, and render the illusion stronger, we shall not enlarge further on the subject, but shall conclude this article with a few observations on illuminated prints and drawings, which are sometimes introduced as accompaniments in these imitations of artificial fire-works.

The mode of preparing these illuminations is thus described in Hutton's translation of Montucla's Recreations. Take some prints representing a castle, or palace, &c.; and having coloured them properly, cement paper to the back of them, in such a manner that they shall be only semitransparent; then, with pinking irons of different sizes, prick small holes in the places and on the lines where the lamps are generally placed, as along the sides of the windows, on the cornices or balustrades, &c. But care must be taken to make these holes smaller and closer, according to the perspective diminution of the figure. With other irons of a larger size, cut out, in other places, some stronger lights, so as to represent fire-pots, &c. Cut out also the panes in some of the windows, and cement to the back of them transparent paper of a green or red colour, to represent curtains drawn before them, and concealing an illuminated apartment.

When the print is cut in this manner, place it in the front of a sort of small theatre, strongly illuminated from the back part, and look at it through a convex glass of a pretty long focus, like that used in those small machines called optical boxes. If the rules of perspective have been properly observed in the prints, and if the lights and shades have been distributed with taste, this spectacle will be highly agreeable.

152

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Burns.

Manage spirits, rectified spirit of wine, or camphorated spirit, ment of with which linen rags must be wetted and kept moist on the part till the pain abates. If no other remedy can be procured, immersing the part for a long time in cold water will often afford great relief. When these means have been neglected, and blisters arise, if these are small, they should not be opened; but if large, the wa

ment of Burns.

ter must be let out, and the sore covered with rags, Manage-spread with a mixture of linseed oil and lime water, in the proportion of one part of the former to three of the latter. We must remark, however, that in all cases of extensive burns, or where some very delicate part is injured, speedy recourse should be had to medical assist

ance.

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PYRRHICA, in antiquity, a kind of exercise on horseback, or a feigned combat, for the exercise of the cavalry.

It was thus called from its inventor Pyrrhichus, or Pyrrhus of Cydonia, who first taught the Cretans to march in measure and cadence to battle, and to observe the pace of the Pyrrhic foot.-Others derive the name from Pyrrhus the son of Achilles, who instituted this exercise at the obsequies of his father.Aristotle says, that it was Achilles himself who invented it.

The Romans also called it ludus Trojanus, "the Trojan game;" and Aulus Gellius decursus.-It is doubtless this exercise that we see represented on medals by two cavaliers in front running with lances, and the word decursio in the exergum.

PYRRHICHIUS, in the Greek and Latin poetry, a foot consisting of two syllables, both short ;—as, Deus.-Among the ancients this foot is also called periambus; by others hegemona.

PYRRHO, a Greek philosopher, born at Elis in Peloponnesus, flourished about 300 B. C. He was the disciple of Anaxarchus, whom he accompanied as far as India, where he conversed with the Brachmans and Gymnosophists. He had made painting his profession before he devoted himself to the study of philosophy. He established a sect whose fundamental principle was, That there is nothing true or false, right or wrong, honest or dishonest, just or unjust; or that there is no standard of any thing beyond law or custom, and that uncertainty and doubt belong to every thing. From this continual seeking after truth and never finding it, the sect obtained the name of Sceptics or Pyrrhonians, from the founder, who is said to have acted upon his own principles, and to have carried his scepticism to such a ridiculous extreme, that his friends were obliged to accompany him wherever he went, that he might not be run over by carriages, or fall down precipices. If this was true, it was not without reason that he was ranked among those whose intellects were disturbed by intense study. But it is treated by a modern writer as a mere calumny invented by the dogmatists; and we are strongly inclined to be of his opinion, (see SCEPTICS). Pyrrho died about the 90th year of his when his memory was honoured with a statue at Athens, and a monument erected to him in his own country.

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PYTHAGORAS, a celebrated philosopher of antiquity, respecting the time and place of whose birth the learned are much divided. Eratosthenes asserts, that in the 48th Olympiad *, when he was very young, he was a victor at the Olympic games. Hence Dr Chr. 588. Bentley † determines the date of his birth to be the 4th† Dissert. year of the 43d Olympiad; whilst Lloyd, who denics on the Ep. that the Olympic victor was the same person with the ris. philosopher places it about the 3d year of the 48th O-t Chron. of lympiad. Mr Dodwell § differs from both, and wishes Pythagoto fix the birth of Pythagoras in the 4th year of the 52d Olympiad. Of the arguments of these learned wri- sertations ters, Le Clerc has given a summary in the Bibliotheque on the age Choisée, tom. x. p. 81. &c. and from a review of the of Phalerewhole, it would appear that he was not born earlier thans and Pythagoras. the 4th year of the 43d Olympiad, or later than the 4th year of the 52d; but in what particular year of that period his birth took place, cannot with any degree of certainty be ascertained. It is generally believed that he was born in the island of Samos, and that he flourished about 500 years before Christ, in the time of Tarquin the last king of Rome *. His father Mnesarchus, who is thought by some to have been a lapida- b. iv. ry, and by others a merchant of Tyre, appears to have cap. 1. been a man of some distinction, and to have bestowed upon his son the best eduction.

* Tusc.

Quest.

+ Vit Py

Jamblicus relates a number of wonderful stories respecting Pythagoras's descent from Jupiter, his birth, g. 6. n. and early life; and represents him even in his youth as a prodigy of wisdom and manly seriousness. But most of these idle tales confute themselves, afford nothing of importance to be depended upon, and only prove the credulity, carelessness, and prejudice of their author. Of his childhood and early education we know nothing, except that he was first instructed in his own country by Creophilus, and afterwards in Scyrus by Pherecydes (see PHERECYDES). According to the custom of the times he was made acquainted with poetry and music; eloquence and astronomy became his private studies, and in gymnastic exercises he often bore the palm for strength and dexterity. He first distinguished himself in Greece at the Olympic games, where, beside gaining the prize, he is said to have excited the highest admiration by the elegance and dignity of his person, and the brilliancy of his understanding. 4 C 2 Soon

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