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At what time gunpowder was first employed for the purposes of war, is very uncertain; but it is pretty evident that cannon were in use very early in the 14th century, but they were, in course, of the rudest and most uncultivated character. Their first denomination was bombarde from Boußos, or "a bombo et adora," on account of the great noise produced by the discharge. In the early use of these machines, they were employed like those they supplanted, and which we have described, in throwing enormous stones. They were therefore of immense calibre, and as the means of boring iron masses of such magnitude were then wanted, they were necessarily formed of iron bars, fitted together lengthwise, and confined by strong hoops of iron; sometimes the bars were soldered together, but still the hoops could not be dispensed with. There are some specimens of these early cannon preserved as curiosities in the Repository and Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. All the ancient cannon are unnecessarily long and clumsy, and we may easily imagine that their carriages and appointments were equally heavy and unmanageable. We are informed indeed by Guicciardini, in the first book of his history, that so cumbrous and unmanageable were the cannon in the 14th and 15th centuries, that they could only be discharged at considerable intervals; viz., two or three times in a day, so that the besieged had sufficient time to repair, at their leisure, the damage which they had sustained; and it not unfrequently happened that the pieces burst, and thus did more injury to those who employed them, than to those they were intended to annoy. In 1453, when Mahomet II. battered the walls of Constantinople, he is said to have used bombards, which projected masses of 1200 pounds weight, and even during the late wars the Turks employed enormous stone mortars to oppose our passage of the Dardanelles. To trace, however, the various changes that have taken place in the construction, management, &c. of these arms, would far exceed the limits of this article; we must pass therefore from these early applications of cannon to the purposes of bombardment, to the time when they began to be employed in the open field, at which period they must have undergone considerable changes and improvements. The English indeed appear to have been the first to employ cannon in the field, and as early as 1346, at the celebrated battle of Cressy, five of them were placed on a small hill near that village, and which are said to have greatly contributed to the attainment of that victory. Cannon, however, were not cast in England till sometime in the 16th century, viz., brass cannon about the year 1535, and those of iron in 1547; we read, indeed, of brass guns of a much earlier date, but whether they were formed of bars, or in what other way they were constructed, we are not informed. Notwithstanding the improvements thus introduced in the formation of cannon, yet they were still, from a mistaken idea of the necessity of great length, exceedingly large and unwieldy. Louis XII. had one cast at Tours, which carried a ball of 100lb. One of these extraordinary cannon was taken at the siege of Dien, in 1546, by Don John de Castro, and was very lately preserved in the castle of St. Julian de Barra, near Lisbon.

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The length of it is 20 feet 7 inches, its diameter in ARTIL the middle is 6 feet 3 inches; and it threw a ball of 100 lbs. There is an Indostan inscription upon it, which says it was made A.D. 1400.

Although, during the 16th century, the size of cannon was considerably diminished, and a more tasteful form given to their exterior, still some few were made of what we now consider a prodigious magnitude; highly ornamented, and bearing a variety of mottoes, and dignified with names of various im port. Thus Louis XII., in 1503, had twelve brass cannon founded of an extraordinary size, which he named after the twelve peers of France. The Spaniards and Portuguese dedicated theirs to their saints, and the Emperor Charles V., when he went against Tunis, had twelve cannons cast, which he called the twelve apostles. Several of these singular specimens of the early art of founding, and of the mistaken ideas of the first artillerists, are preserved in different arsenals. At Milan there is a seventy pounder, called the Pimontelli, and another at Bois le Duc, called the Devil. At Dover Castle we have a sixty pounder, called Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol; and in the Tower of London, an eighty pounder, brought from Edinburgh, bearing the name of Mounts Meg. There is also an eighty pounder in the arsenal at Berlin, denominated the Thunderer, and one of the same calibre at Malaga, called the Terrible. At Bremen there are two curious sixty pounders, called the Messengers of Bad News; and lastly, one in the castle of St. Angelo, at Rome, made of the nails that fastened the copper plates which covered the ancient Pantheon, with the following inscription, "Ex clavis trabalibus porticus Agrippa."

In the royal arsenal at Woolwich, there were very lately a great number of cannon of unusual construction, although not of very great size, and many are still preserved; but by far the greater part have been sold or re-cast.

Without proceeding further in this historical sketch of the first invention, and subsequent improvements in the construction of cannon, we shall endeavour to lay before our readers some particulars relative to the present state of the English artillery, which is on all hands admitted to be the most perfect, both in its form and appointments, of any in Europe.

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ARTIL British service, and in lieu of battalion guns, the LERY. artillery is formed into brigades of foot, and troops of horse artillery, the former being attached to the infantry, and the latter to the cavalry. This change has taken place on the supposition that the condensed fire of these brigades and troops, produces a much greater effect than could be expected from the divided action of battalion guns.

The brigades of foot artillery have either five medium 12-pounders, and a heavy 5 inch howitzer; five 9-pounders, and a heavy 5 inch howitzer; five long 6-pounders, with a heavy 5 inch howitzer; five light 6-pounders, with a light 54 inch howitzer; or six 3-pounders, when acting in a mountainous country. The 9-pounders, however, were much in use in the late campaigns, as they answered better to the French 8-pounders to which they were generally opposed.

Horse artillery. A troop of horse artillery in the British service has generally five light 6-pounders, and one light 5 inch howitzer. The French have

commonly 8-pounders, and a 6-inch howitzer at- ARTIL tached to their troops of horse artillery.

Park of artillery. This, in addition to the requisite proportion of light guns, to re-place such as may be disabled or taken, contains some ordnance of a heavier calibre, but the nature and quantity of it depend on particular circumstances. These are 18pounders, 12-pounders, and 8-inch howitzers, for the purpose of forming batteries of position; defending entrenched posts; breaking down bridges, dislodging an enemy from temporary works, or old castles, fortified in order to impede the march of an army for a short time, &c. These do not always follow an army in all its movements; but still they are generally so placed, that they may be brought up in a short time when circumstances require it.

The park also should contain spare carriages, stores and ammunition for every description of ordnance to be employed; a pontoon or boat equipage, and a moveable magazine in waggons or carts for infantry and cavalry.

The following Table exhibits the latest regulations, for the quantity and disposition of the ammunition, attached to the particular pieces specified in it.

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These numbers, it will be perceived, do not exactly agree with the above rule, and indeed no rule can be made to apply generally to all cases.

The artillery for the defence of a garrison is very similar to that employed in the siege. The following is generally supposed to be a proper proportion of men, guns, &c., according to the nature of the garrison; that is, according to its class. The strongest places being considered of the first class, and so on in order to the eighth.

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The guns will be of the following calibre, oneLERY. third 18-pounders, one-third 12-pounders, and onethird of 24, 9, and 4-pounders in equal proportion; and if the place do not possess any very extraordinary means of defence, 800 rounds of ammunitiou per gun for the two larger calibre, and 900 for each of the smaller will be a sufficient supply.

Gun carriages one-third more than the number of guns.

Mortars about one-fourth of the number of guns in the three first classes, and one-fifth or one-sixth in the other classes. Of these two-fifth will be 13inch or 10-inch mortars, and the rest of a smaller

nature.

Howitzers one-fourth of the number of mortars. In the preceding enumeration of the description of artillery for the field and garrison duties, we have only referred to those in most general use; but it may not be amiss to state briefly the various calibres at this time known in the British service.

These are,

Brass guns.... 42, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6, 3, and 1-pounders. Iron guns .. 32, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4, and 3-pounders. Carronades. 68, 42, 32, 24, 18, and 12-pounders. Howitzers.... 10, 8, 5, and 43-inch. Mortars...

Mortars (Stone.)

..

13, 10, 8, 5, and 43-inch.

for throwing stones to small distances, which are brass, about 15 inches in diameter, of a lighter construction than the above. Eighteen inch mortars were formerly employed, but they have for many years been laid aside. For the particulars of the construction, weight, &c. of these several pieces, see CANNON.

Exercise of artillery. When fifteen men are attached for the service of a gun in the field, they are numbered from 1 to 15; but when the gun is not to be advanced by the men, the first six numbers are omitted, and the nine men are numbered from 7 to 15. The exercise of heavy field guns differs but little from the light ones. It will therefore be sufficient to confine our description of the exercise to one case only.

Line of March, nine men to a gun. Here numbers 7, 9, 12 and 15, are on the left of the gun; 8, 10, 13, 14 and 11, on the right; numbers 7 and 8 opposite to the muzzle of the gun; 9 and 10 opposite the breech; 12 and 13 opposite the trail; 14 opposite the axle tree of the limber; 11 opposite the shafts; 15 leads the limber horse; the driver leads the fore horse.

Position, duties, &c. of nine men prepared for action. Light guns. Number 7 sponges, 8 loads, 9 serves the vent, 10 fires, Il commands, 12 carries the match and water bucket; 13 serves 8 with ammunition from 14, who carries a cartouch and a pair of drag-ropes, 15 holds the limber horse, and carries a cartouch.

Number 7 is between the right wheel and the muzzle; 8 between the left wheel and muzzle; 9 clear of the near wheel; 10 clear of the left wheel, both in a line with the vent; 11 on the left of the hand-spike; 12 on his right, clear of 9; 13 covers the left wheel, five yards in the rear; 14 covers the right wheel, ten yards in the rear. The limber is 25 yards directly in the rear of the gun.

Heavy guns. This is the same as with the light

guns, except that 7 and 8 stand outside the wheel, ARTIL and 8 assists 7 to ram home if necessary.

Howitzers. The positions here are the same as with the heavy guns, but the duties are different; 7 sponges, uncaps the fuze, and puts in the shell; 8 takes the sheep skin out of the piece, lays it on the ground, with the woollen side up, (when 7 holds it up) puts in the sheep skin again, and pulls it out with his left hand on the word ready. He stops the muzzle with it immediately that the piece is fired; 9 serves the vent; 10 fires; 11 commands; 12 carries the match and bucket; 13 serves 8 with cartridges from a cartouch; 14 serves 7 with shells from the limber, which he lays on the sheep skin; 15 attends the limber. As from unavoidable accidents, the number of men attached to a gun, may be reduced, it will be necessary if the vacancies happen amongst those doing the most essential duties, to immediately replace them by those doing the most subordinate duties.

Exercise of a field gun with fifteen men.

When a light gun has six drag-rope men attached to it, the duties of the standing numbers, that is the numbers from 7 to 15 continue the same in all the exercises just mentioned; but they assist also in the movements of the gun by drag-ropes. In the line of march, 1, 2 and 3 are on the left of the gun in the rear of 7; and 4, 5 and 6 on the right in the rear of 8.

In the position for action, 1, 2 and 3 hold the right drag-rope, and 4, 5 and 6 the left, and dress in a line with the axletree. On the word load, 3 and 4 unhook the drag-ropes from the drag washers, 3 holds the hook in his left hand, and 4 in his right, and they hook on again at the word cease firing.

On the word prepare to advance quick, 2, 3, 4 and 5, slip under the drag-ropes; 2 and 5, man the loop ends on the inside; 3 and 4 the first pins on the inside; 7 and 8 move to the second pins on the inside; I and 6 remain at their pins, 9 and 10, move to the second pins on the outside, and 12 and 13 to the near pins on the outside; 14 assists 11 at the traversing handspike; 13 lifts up the trail for 11 to put in the truck; and 12 gives his match to 10, then the word being given,

Prepare for action,-2, 3, 4 and 5, slip back again under the drag-ropes, and the whole resume their places for action.

Word-With two pair of drag-ropes prepare to retreat quick,-3 and 4 unhook from the drag-washer, and march from the rear; 2 and 5 follow, and 1 and 6 hook the loop end of the drag-ropes to the trail hooks; 12 sticks his linstock in the ground, and with 13 brings the spare drag-ropes from 14, and gives the chain ends to 7 and 8 to hook to the drag washers; 7, 9 and 12 man the right drag-rope; and 8, 10 and 13 the left. To resume the position for action on the

Word, prepare for action,-7 and 8 unhook the spare drag-ropes, and 12 and 13 carry them back to 14; 1 and 6 unhook from the trail, and 3 and 4 hook the other end to the drag washers.

Word-Prepare for action retreating. The drag-rope men change as in retreating, upon the word load, 1 and 6 unhook from the trail, and hook on again at the word cease firing. It must be here remarked, that in the exercise with 15 men, only the additional duties have been detailed; the duties of the standing numbers in action, advancing or retreating, being still the

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