are taken in mixing them
well together: and observe, that, in all compositions wherein are
steel or iron filings, the hands must not touch; nor will any works
which have iron or steel in their charge, keep long in damp weather,
without being properly prepared, according to the following
directions:--

It may sometimes happen, that fire-works may be required to be kept a
long time, or sent abroad; neither of which could be done with
brilliant fires, if made with filings unprepared; for this reason,
that the saltpetre being of a damp nature, it causes the iron to rust,
the natural consequence of which is, that when the works are fired,
there will appear but very few brilliant sparks, but instead of them a
number of red and drossy sparks; and besides, the charge will be so
much weakened, that if this should happen to wheels, the fire will not
be strong enough to force them round; to prevent such accidents,
prepare your filings after the following manner:--Melt in a glazed
earthen pan some brimstone over a slow fire, and when melted, throw in
some filings, which keep stirring about till they are covered with
brimstone; this you must do while it is on the fire; then take it off,
and stir it very quick till cold, when you must roll it on a board
with a wooden roller, till you have broken it as fine as corn powder;
after which, sift from it as much of the brimstone as you can. There
is another method of preparing filings, so as to keep two or three
months in winter; this may be done by rubbing them between the
strongest sort of brown paper, which has been previously moistened
with linseed oil.

N.B. If the brimstone should take fire, you may put it out, by
covering the pan close at top. It is not of much consequence what
quantity of brimstone you use, provided there is enough to give each
grain of iron a coat; but as much as will cover the bottom of a pan of
about one foot diameter, will do for five or six pounds of filings.
Cast-iron for gerbes will be preserved by the above method.

_To make Crackers._

Cut some stout cartridge-paper into pieces three inches and a half
broad, and one foot long; one edge of each of these pieces fold down
lengthwise about three-quarters of an inch broad; then fold the double
edge down a quarter of an inch, and turn the single edge back half
over the double fold; open it, and lay all along the channel, which is
formed by the foldings of the paper, some meal-powder; then fold it
over and