The arms offensive and defensive of the old militia, described by Grose, in his “Military Antiquities,” 1801, as applying to a trooper, with the furniture for his horse, were as follows:—“The defensive armour, a breast, back, and pot (or scull cap without vizor or bever), pistol proof; the offensive arms, a sword, and a case of pistols, the barrels not under 14 inches in length; the furniture for the horse, a great saddle, or pad, with burs and straps for affixing the holsters, a bit and bridle, with a pectoral and crupper: for the foot, a musketeer had a musket, the barrel, not under three feet in length, and the guage of the bore for 12 bullets to the pound, a collar of bandileers, with a sword.” (Vol. 1.)
Abraham Hill, a Fellow of the Royal Society, patented, 3rd of March, 1664, among other inventions, one for guns and pistols, with several devices for the speedier and more effectual discharge of them; also a new kind of powder horn.
We shall close these observations on improvements in firearms with the following miscellaneous illustrations respecting the several kinds then in use.
In “The Exercise of Armes for Calivers, Musketts, and Pikes, after the order of his excellence Maurits Prince of Orange, &c. Sett forth in the figures by Jacob de Gheyn. Printed at the Hage,” folio, 1607:—the instructions commence with an engraved illustration of the soldier, showing how he should stand and “carry his caliver, matche, and rapier;” and proceeds to observe, “he shall also hold the match burning or kindled at both the endes, betwixt the two least fingers of the same left hand.” He is thus represented, holding a piece of smouldering touch-rope of two or three feet long, lighted at both ends, and has other similar reserve cords at his belt.
In the splendid work on “Ancient Armour and Arms,” by Sir S. R. Meyrick, 2 vols. folio, 1830, numerous illustrative plates of firearms occur in the following order:—Arquebus, plate 114, figure 5.—Blunderbuss, a snaphaunce, from the Dutch donderbus, thunder-gun, p. 119, f. 10.—Carabine, a wheel-lock, p. 116, f. 1.—117, and 119, f. 9.—Carabineers, p. 43.—Cross bow, p. 94; 95; 98.—Flask for powder, p. 123; 124.—Musket, p. 117; 119.—Musketeer, p. 36.
68.
An admirable and most forcible way to drive up water by[9] fire, not by drawing or sucking it upwards, for that must be as the Philosopher calleth it, Intra[1] sphæram activitatis, which is but at such a distance. But this way hath no Bounder, if the Vessels be strong enough; for I have taken a piece of a whole Cannon, whereof the end was burst, and filled it three quarters full of water,[2] stopping and scruing up the[3] broken end; as also the Touch-hole; and making a constant fire under it, within 24. hours it burst and made a great crack: So that having a[4] way to make my Vessels, so that they are strengthened by the force within them, and the one to fill after the other.[5] I have seen the water run[6] like a constant Fountaine-stream forty foot[7] high; one Vessel of water rarified by fire driveth[8] up forty of cold water. And a man that tends the work is but to turn two Cocks, that one Vessel of water being consumed, another begins to force and[9] re-fill with cold water, and so successively, the fire being tended and kept constant, which the self-same Person may likewise abundantly perform in the interim between the necessity of[1] turning the said Cocks.
Footnotes
[9]with—for by.
[1]“Intra”—in printed edition, 1663. But “Infra” in MS. and P.