Gunpowder and Ammunition, Their Origin and Progress

The book provides a historical and technical survey of the discovery and refinement of saltpetre and the subsequent development of gunpowder and ammunition. It reviews medieval and ancient sources across several cultures, reconstructs recipes and refining methods, and traces advances in projectiles and delivery systems. The work's second part systematically classifies ammunition—fire-arrows, grenades, rockets, shot, shells, incendiaries—and explains igniters, fuzes, and signalling devices, supported by analytical tables of compositions, manufacturing techniques, pressures, and prices.