History of Cannon or pieces of Ordnance. They were originally made of iron bars soldered together and fortified with strong iron hoops; some of which are still to be seen, viz. one in the tower of London, two at Woolwich, one in the royal arsenal at Lisbon, they are numerous in all parts of Asia; and baron Tott describes them in Turkey. Others were made of thin sheets of iron rolled up together, and hooped; and on emergencies they were made of leather, with plates of iron or copper. These pieces were made in a rude and imperfect manner, like the first essays of many new inventions. Stone balls were thrown out of these cannon, and a small quantity of powder used on account of their weakness. These pieces have no ornaments, are placed on their carriages by rings, and are of cylindrical form. When or by whom they were made, is uncertain; however we read of cannon being used as early as the 13th century, in a sea engagement between the king of Tunis and the Moorish king of Seville. The Venetians used cannon at the siege of Claudia Jessa, now called Chioggia, in 1366, which were brought thither by two Germans, with some powder and leaden balls; as likewise in their wars with the Genoese in 1369. Edward III. of England made use of cannon at the battle of Cressy in 1346, and at the siege of Calais in 1347. Cannon were made use of by the Turks at the siege of Constantinople, then in possession of the Christians, in 1394, or in that of 1452, that threw a weight of 500lb. but they generally burst, either the first, second, or third shot. Louis XII. had one cast at Tours, of the same size, which threw a ball from the Bastille to Charenton. One of those famous cannon was taken at the siege of Diu in 1546, by Don John de Castro, and is in the castle of St. Juiliao da Barra, 10 miles from Lisbon: its length is 20 feet 7 inches, diameter at the centre 6 feet 3 inches, and discharges a ball of 100lb. It has neither dolphins, rings, nor button, is of a curious kind of metal, and has a large Hindustanee inscription upon it, which says it was cast in 1400.
Ancient and present names of Cannon. Formerly they were distinguished by uncommon names; for in 1503, Louis XII. had 12 brass cannon cast, of an uncommon size, called after the names of the 12 peers of France. The Spanish and Portuguese called them after their saints. The emperor Charles V. when he marched before Tunis, founded the 12 Apostles. At Milan there is a 70 pounder, called the Pimontelle; and one at Bois-le-duc, called the devil. A 60-pounder at Dover castle, called Queen Elizabeth’s Pocket-pistol. An 80-pounder in the tower of London (formerly in Sterling castle) called Mounts-meg. An 80-pounder in the royal arsenal at Berlin, called the Thunderer. An 80-pounder at Malaga, called the Terrible. Two curious 60-pounders in the arsenal at Bremen, called the Messengers of bad news. And lastly an uncommon 70-pounder in the castle of St. Angelo at Rome, made of the nails that fastened the copper plates which covered the ancient Pantheon, with this inscription upon it: Ex clavis trabalibus porticus Agrippæ.
In the beginning of the 15th century these uncommon names were generally abolished, and the following more universal ones took place, viz.
| Pounders | Cwt. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon royal, or carthoun | = | 48 | about 90 | |||
| Bastard cannon, or ³⁄₄ carthoun | = | 36 | 79 | |||
| ¹⁄₂ carthoun | = | 24 | 60 | |||
| Whole culverins | = | 18 | 50 | |||
| Demy culverins | = | 9 | 30 | |||
| Falcon | = | 6 | 25 | |||
| Saker | - | lowest sort | = | 6 | 13 | |
| ordinary | = | 5 | 15 | |||
| largest size | = | 8 | 18 | |||
| Basilisk | = | 48 | 85 | |||
| Serpentine | = | 4 | 8 | |||
| Aspik | = | 2 | 7 | |||
| Dragon | = | 6 | 12 | |||
| Syren | = | 60 | 81 | |||
| Falconet | = | 3, 2, & 1 | 15, 10, 5. | |||
Moyens, which carried a ball of 10 or 12 ounces, &c.
Rabinet, which carried a ball of 16 ounces.
These curious names of beasts and birds of prey were adopted, on account of their swiftness in motion, or of their cruelty; as the falconet, falcon, saker, and culverin, &c. for their swiftness in flying; the basilisk, serpentine, aspik, dragon, syren, &c. for their cruelty. See the Latin poet Forcastarius.
At present cannon or pieces of ordnance take their names from the weight of the ball they discharge: thus a piece that discharges a ball of 24 pounds, is called a 24-pounder; one that carries a ball of 12 pounds, is called a 12-pounder; and so of the rest, divided into the following sorts, viz.
Ship-guns, consisting of 42, 32, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6, and 3 pounders.
Garrison-guns, of 42, 32, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6 pounders.