Life among the Chinese: with characteristic sketches and incidents of missionary operations and prospects in China . of gunpowder,and the mariners compass, had their origin in was practiced in China during the tenth cen-tury of the Christian era. The Chinese name forgunpowder is fire-medicine, or fire-drug; and thoughit is probable they received from western nations theknowledge of applying it to firearms, it is neverthe-less certain that its composition was known to theChinese in very ancient times. There is reliable evi-dence tkat as early as the third or fourth century ofthe
Life among the Chinese: with characteristic sketches and incidents of missionary operations and prospects in China . of gunpowder,and the mariners compass, had their origin in was practiced in China during the tenth cen-tury of the Christian era. The Chinese name forgunpowder is fire-medicine, or fire-drug; and thoughit is probable they received from western nations theknowledge of applying it to firearms, it is neverthe-less certain that its composition was known to theChinese in very ancient times. There is reliable evi-dence tkat as early as the third or fourth century ofthe Christian era the Chinese were acquainted withthe properties and use of the mariners compass; andeven the variation of the needle had not escaped theirobservation. The use of inflammable gas for artistic andother purposes is with us a very recent measure; andas we look at our dwellings and cities thus lighted,we take to ourselves great credit for ingenuityand enterprise. But here, also, it appears the Chi-nese have anticipated us, though they have failed toapply it on as grand a scale as their Fire Wells. INFLAMMABLE GAS. 27 In the province of Sze-chueu, one of the westernprovinces, there are very deep wells, the water ofwhich is like brine, from flowing through beds of rocksalt. This brine is boiled down in great pans. Insome parts of the province there are hot salt waterwells, and what are called fire-wells. The months ofthese wells are closed, and a bamboo pipe is passedinto the well. Through this a large quantity of gaspasses, and if a light be applied it takes fire andburns constantly, just like the gas-pipes in our towns.]Sow the Chinese are very clever, and therefore theymake use of this natural gas manufactory for lightingthe villages near it, conveying it to them in hollowbamboos instead of iron pipes. The chief use, however, which they make of thegas is to lead it, by tht, pipes, under the salt-pans; butto keep the pipe from burning they fix an earth
Size: 1922px × 1300px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade186, booksubjectmissions, bookyear1861
