Munchausen At Walcheren PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1811 edition. Excerpt: ...or destruction of these banditti, with the most trifling loss, provided he would put the subjects and means of his country under my disposal. To this condition the king readily consented, and ordered that all my commands should be obeyed. Having reconnoitred the fortress, I found it to be really so formidable, as to be impregnable to any other means of assault, than to those of European genius. I resolved to put them in practice, and began my preparations. As I had determined on an attempt to blow up the rock, my first step was to put in requisition all the gunpowder, the quantity of which, on being collected and stored in distant place's to prevent an explosion of the whole at once, I found to be very inadequate to my purposes. I employed several gangs of the natives, some in cutting down trees, others in lopping off the branches, and others, in digging pits, into which the brancUe 18 The Baron's chymital preparation of gunpowder. deposited. When the pits were nearly fulF, . I ordered the wood to be set fire to, and after it was nearly half burnt, I caused the brands to be covered over with earth. On returning to the pits some days after, and removing the earth, I found myself provided with very excellent charcoal. In the interim, I had set several other gangs to work at digging and' turning up a piece of land, on which, thus prepared, I ordered all the urine that could be procured, to be brought and sprinkled.. From the immense heat of the sun, on the next morning, I beheld the ground as white as iS covered with one of our European hoar-frosts, . and I immediately knew that I should be at no loss for saltpetre. The workmen daily collected these efflorescences as clean from the earth as they could, and, by solution and caU cination, I.