New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-09-24

TWAS not until about the middle of the fourteenth
century that gunnery may be said to have begun
its real existence, at which period one Berthold
Schwartz appears to have discovered the granula-
ton of gunpowder, and the consequent increased
force Of the explosion necessitated greater thick
ness in the metal which caused great drain on
the treasury. Indeed, John, King Of France, was
obliged to order his {. genereauS DIES monnoiesi to
diligently inquire into the quantity Of brass to be
found in France, GO for the purpose Of making such
artillery and prevent its being taken out Of the
country
Henceforward we find the "great gunnes'' Of the
middle ages. Yet manv were the trials made by
the bronze-foundefs be they succeeded in OBJ
tanning a metal suticie tnacious to resist the
improved ''gonnepoudre but nothing daunted,
every form and size was successfully tried and
great was the successful artist reward; for these
huge engines were Of extreme value, and worthy
of monarch's gift, although their usual fate was,
either to be abandoned, owing to their impeding
march, or to burst after few rounds. Thus, in
14I5 A. D., Gerard Sprong petitioned Henry V.
that warrant might be issued, commanding the
Treasurer and Barons of the EXchequer to grant
him a discharge for the metal of brass cannon
called messenger weighing 1850 pounds, which
burst at the siege of Aberystwith of cannon
called s'Kynges Daughter burst at the siege Of
Harlech; and Of a cannon which burst in proving.
We find also that the Italians, who prided them.
selves on their knowledge of bronze casting, were
not much more successful. q inform yonr lord
Ships writes Duke Frederigo of Urbino to the
citizens Of Sienna, !. that We cannot move from
KS
yet been removed and have not yet had 1t broken
up, because the Messrs. Borghese tell me your
0rdships wish for it; and the body of the last bonn
bard which burst is still here for its carriage broke
down on the march, as also its chamber, and was
left by the way
Governments had been obliged to resort to brass
for their ordinance on the discovery of grannlated
powder on account of the nfePiority of cast iron;
and experiments were made with view of re-
dueing this expense, by substituting forged iron
tubes, strengthened with iron hoops and bands;
but even this was not very economical, as we find
by an account of Henry ", when was paid to
John Stevens, of Bristol for the making d great
cannon, as well as for iron, coal and timber pur-
chased by him, as well as for divers other ex-
| penses incurred by him on account of the cannon
aforesaid, Gl07 los. 3d., equal to about $1,000 of
| our money.
| In spite of these difficulties, we find Henry v
| taking with him to France three master gunners
twenty-five gnnners and fifty assistant gunners,
| showing the steady progress gannery had made
since its Introduction into warfare and the wars of
the House of Lancaster in France forced the French
to acknowledge the advantages to be derived from
| it; consequently, under the able rule of Charles
VII, and Louis XII, they organized very fine ar
| tillery, and the power derived thereffom was
amply shown in the success which attended the in
yasion Of Italy by Charles VIII. The mere rumors
which spread throughout that peninsula respecting
his artillery, completely orerawed its inhabitants
and, though grossly exaggerated, his means were
certainly wonderful for that age, and the practical
effect Of his guns far surpassed anything that had
| been said of them.
| The Italians still used the heavy, cumbersome
| bombards of iron or bronze, which, drawn with
difficulty, were loaded with still greater, and thus
in battering town, gave the beseged plenty of
time to erect fresh works in of those destroy
| ed. But the French, never making use of any but
bronze cannon, have replaced stone shot with iron
OF much smaller ealiber, but of equal weight draw
ing their pieces with horses instead of oxen, and
| possessing experienced gunners, could keen IN
with the rest OF the army, and throwing up their
batteries with rapldty could cause in few hours
the same effect as the Italians could in as many
| days whence all Italy was filled with dread of
| Charles army [Our Engines of War.
| --~ssS--
| DouGn FAeE''-The origin of the term dough
| facet has been much discussed. 1t is ordinarily
understood to denote susceptible political Gharac-
| ter, which can be moulded readily like dough, to
any form, in obedience to the dctation of an i'm
petious section of the country sometimes called
:. the South Political antiquarians have traced
the word to John Randolph, and given it teoniec-
turaly) the photography of Notwithstanding
very timid kind of politicians who sbeliege and
trembles whenever the usual gasconade about
| secession and disnnion come up on the eve of
Presidential election.
-" They were scared at their OWE dough. faces
was Randolph's expression, referring to certain
Northern men whom he charged with having made
menacing demonstration and afterwards backed
down. The Vermont Chronicle gives what seems
| to be the true origin of Randolph's phrase, in
| plantation trick in Virginia. !. You go to the
kitchen and get a little tough dough, and roll it
! like pie crust. You get a sheet and wrap your
confederate in it, covering him from crown to toe,
except the face. Then apply the dough, holes
having been cut for mouth, eyes and nostrils. If
well made and applied, besides the dead whiteness,
| there is flabbiness, hanging down at corners
where the Sits are made. ETC., that is CHASTITY in
the extreme. The dough face is now ready to
| meet the person designed to scare.ii
Randolph naturally applied to his opponents this
ito him1 familiar metaphor, haunting them with
having made up doughface to frighten others,
and got scared by it themselves
IN. Y. Evening Post,
-s--7--
One John W. Jones, who has been sent to prison
for marrying two wives, excused himself by say.