This book is a facsimilie reproduction of the original 1832 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information pertaining to the historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 5th volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http: //www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/ Description - from the Preface: The following pages are submitted to the public with modesty. The writer of them has been absent from England seventeen years; and there may be improvements in the manufacture of the article he treats of that have not come to his knowledge. He believes there is not a single work extant in the English language that discusses the manipulation of Gunpowder, and the best and most accurate methods of ascertaining its strength and quality. As much information as he could collect on those points is here submitted, and he hopes it will be found useful. J. B., Madras, September, 1830.