Weigh five ounces of dry nitrate of strontia, one ounce and a half of
finely-powdered sulphur, five drams of chlorate of potash, and four
drams of sulphuret of antimony. Powder the sulphuret of antimony and
chlorate of potash separately in a mortar, and mix them on paper;
after which add them to the other ingredients, previously powdered and
mixed. For use, mix with a portion of the powder a small quantity of
spirits of wine, in a tin pan resembling a cheese-toaster; light the
mixture, and it will shed a rich crimson hue. When the fire burns dim
and badly, a very small quantity of finely-powdered charcoal or
lamp-black will revive it. This light is used in finale scenes, where
the subject is heroic, national, or martial.