1000000030

fupport.d only in the middle by a block of wood

lt is

fired thrce times: the firll with powder of the wcight o(

¡he bullet, and the tIVO others IVllh

of the weighl; af–

ter whieh a linlemore powder is put in to Gnge the piece;

and after this water, whieh is imprdfed with a fpunge,

putting the Gnger on the toueh·hole, tO difeovcr ir there

be any eracks; whieh done, they a(e examined with the

eat, which is a piece of iron with time grafps, difpofed

in the form of a triangle, and of the

e.lib~r

of the pitee ;

Ihen it il vifited IVith a wax candle, but it is of verylinle

{.rviee in the Cmall pieees,

beeauC~

i( they be aJittlelong,

¡he fmoke extingui/hes it iOlOlediately.

The proo( of mortals is mlde in this manner : Where

there are earriages of eall iron, the mortar is plaeed on

one of thoCe earriages. Under that earriage is made

platform of madricrs

inehes .thiek ; the mortar is

chargcd with the bell powder, and with as much of it as

its ehamber can eontain, obferving tOleave no vaeuity at

the neek of tbe mortar, but what is neeelfáry to put a

linle wad ol'er the pOQ.'der, and whieb is rammed with

¡he end of an handfpike, to keep the powder together as

mueh as pol1ible.

I,uge green turf, with earth tIVO

fingers deep, is put over thewad, whieh mull have width

coough to 6U up the bonom of the mortar, This turf

and earth are very weU raOlmed down, tben the bomb is

plaeed over it as upright as poffible, leaving a fmaU place

round it, whieh is to be 61led IVith clay as tight as pof–

tibie, preffiog it between the mortar and the bomb with

poioted lIiek ; and as it is not neeelfary to fpend mueh

powder in thefe fon

proofs, the

~omb

mull be 6Ued

with as mueh eanh as

would eontaln powder,

For IVant

earriages of eall iron, holes are dug in the

canh IVhere the monars are buried as far as the toueh–

bole; and in order that the mortars thu! buried may 6nd

more reGllanee, and make a greater elfon, large pieees

eC wood in form

joills are put under the mortar, ehu–

fing always the hardell grouDd, tOrefin bener the reeoil

of the mortar,

A fufee for granadoes is put on the toueh·hole of eaeh

mortar, that the gunner may have time 10 retire, in cafe

¡he mortar IVas tO bu rfi in the proor; which is alCo prac–

¡ifed in the proof of the pieees ,

This proof is made three times, without increafing or

dimini/hiog any thing ,

Befides the large pieees ntentioned throughout this ma·

tife, ínveoted for the dellruaion of mankind. Ihere are

ethers ealled fmall auns.

viz:

mulkets of rampans, como

mon mulkets, (ufils, c;:¡rabines, mulketoons. and pillols,

A mufl,el, or mufqnet, is a fire·arm borne on the

Ihodoer, aoel ufeel in war, formcrly fireo by the appli.

cation

a lighted match, but at prereot IVith a

nt aod

lack.

The common

tr,~fl,ets

are of the caliber of 20leaden

balls tOthe pound, and reeeive balls

Crom

to 24: its

length is fixed 10 3

ftl

t 8)nchcs from the mUIzle to the

toueh-p'o,

A fufil, or firc-Iuek, has the

r.me

length and caliber;

and fen'es at prefent inllead of a mnfl(l t,

A carabi"e is a [,11.11 fon of fire·alrol, IllOner than a

fufil, anll c,"'ying a ball of

2.1

in Ihe pOllnd. borne by

Ir.e

li~ht

horre, h.lngillg at a bdt ov:r th: Ht /houlda,

)

The emhine is a kind of mellium

b~twecn

the pillol

and the mullw ; and bears " near a¡¡¡nily to ,he arque–

bufs,

u,~ly

that its bore i, [¡lldlJer,

wa, formerly

m"de \Vah a match·lock, but 01 late 'only wilh a Hint–

loek,

. The mufquetoon is of the fame Icogth of the cara–

bine, the barrel pnli/hed, and cleao wilhin.

Themufquetoon earrics five ounces of iron, or Ceven

and

half of lead, ",ilh an tqual quantity of powder,

The bure! of. pillol is generally

inehes

loo~,

As to the ioveOllon of eannon and Bun powder, we

are cmain that thoy are difcovcrÍls of

modern date:

but there is no dtpendiog upon the rariou, .eeoom,

given of them by "uthors ,

AJI

that can be faid

~~th

~emin' y i~,

that the ..e is mentioomade of gun' PQwdcr

In the regtiler of the

chamb~r

of aceounts in Franee,

in the ym of Chrill l llB-; Ihat Alphonfu,

Xl.

king

of Callile, beGeged the Moors ",ith iron mortan in

the year of Chria 1343 ; and that Our

Ki~g

Edw;rd,

1346,

6rll carried thoCe thullderiog machines uf war

and death into Franee, wh"e he availed himfelf of 6ve

or fix preces of cannon at Ihe batt1e o( Crelfy,

Btfore the iovention of thefe inftrumeots of war,

the ancicots lOad

ufe of the arie" or battering.ram,

the eatapultz, tbe balJifTa, feorpion, and teHudo, See

RdM,

Út,

For lb,

trI.lh, m.li,

., prin,ipl"

o/ CunnuJ,

fee

P~OJECTtL E ' ,

GUN·POWDER, a eompofition of Caltpetre, fulphur,

and eharcoal, mixed together, and UfU.llygranulmd ;

whieh eafily takes (¡ re, and, when fired, rari6es,

expand" IVith great vehemence, by means of ils c1anic

force,

is to this powd<r IVe Owe all tne aaion and dfeél

of guns,

ordnane~,

&:.

fo tha: the modern mililary

art, fOllifieatioo,

ú"

in a great meafure depend thac'

on,

M<lhod o/ m.Ung

G VN

POWDER, Dr Shaw's reeipe

for this purpofe is as follows , Take foor ounees of

renned r.h petre, an ounee of brirnltone, and fax dr,lms

of fmalJ coal: reduce thcfe to a fine powdcr, and con·

tinue beating them for fome time in a Ilone n10rrar l

with a woodco pdlle, "'ming the mixture belweeo

whiles wilh water, fo as to form the whole iOlO ao

unifolm palle, which is redueed tO graios; by paffing

it through a ",ire fieve nt (or the purpofe; and in this

form 'bring c"efu Jly dried, it beeonlcs the eomOlon

sun· powd.r.

For sre'ter quantities. milis are uCually prol'ided,

by meaos o( whieh mo(e work may be performed io

one da)', than a mln can do i, a hundred,

Tite nitre ur fahpme is refined lhus : dir.olve fouI

rouods of .0uSh nitre as it comes 10 us from the In–

.hes, by hodlllg it in as mllch Water as \ViII eommoali–

ooOy fu/liee {or Ihdl purpofc: Ihen let it /hoot for tilO

(Ir Ihree da"s in a c(lrertd vtlld of ctrth, lI'ilh IllCk!

hid acrofs ¡·l·r Ihe cryOals 10

~Jh<fe

10.

Th.fc

cr~·

nals bcing lokenOUt, a,eJ"in,d duJ J.ieJ in the opeo

alf.

In order to reduce this fJIt to powder, tb/)' dirrolve