, 1861-11-21
First use OF Gunpowder.

The following extracts are from work en-
titled "A Little Description Of the Great World
by Peter Heylyn," published at Oxford in 1890
The way times are now wagging may make th'
| article interesting to some Of our readers:
Schwartz vast Franciscan, and studious il
alchemy. For the finding out Of experiments
in this art, he was one evening tempering brim.
stone, dried earth, and certain other ingredients
in mortar, which he had covered with stone.
The night growing on, he took q tnderbOx "a
light him candle; when striking FIRE, q spark
by chance few into the mortar, and catching
hold Of the birthstone and saltpetre, with great
violence blew up the stone. The cunning al
chemist guessing which Of his ingredients It was
that produced this effect, made him an iron pipe,
crammed Il with sulphur and stones, and put.
ting FIRE to II, saw with what great fury and
noise It discharged ITSELF This invention be
communicated to the Venetians, Ammo 1880, or
thereabouts who having been often vanquished
by the Genoese, and driven almost to neces;
sity Of yielding to them, by the help Of their
guns Cbombards they were then calied) gave
unto their enemies noble discontinue; and
this was the first battle that ever those warlike
pieces had part in, which, not long after, put
to silence al the engines and devices wherewith
the ancients were wont 10 make their batteries.
The next that made use Of this instrument
were the inhabitants Of the Baltic Sea; and not
long after them, the English at the siege Of Ca
lais, Ammo 1347; about which time they began
also to be used 10 Spain. The French, Il seem.
eth, learned the use Of them from the English /;
and the first benefit received by them was the
Earl Of Salisbury, who, at the siege Of Orleans,
was slain with great shot, Ammo 1923 l9 :
The Turks are beholding for them to the wars
they had with the Venetians; beholding, Isay--
for notwithstanding the harm received by them
at first, yet afterwards growing expert IA man
aging Of them, they gave unto Uesan Cassanes
and Ismael, two Of the most mighty emperors
Of Persia, two memorable oyeTthrows by the
help OF their great ordnance only.
The Portuguese were IN the art the tutors to
the Persians lOF as Solyman, the Turkish En-
peror, objected against them, they not only
aided Tamas, the Sof,, with certain hanque,
busters, (spelt IN book harcabugiers) but also
sent him wofkmen to show bin the use and
making Of artillery. These great pieces, at the
first invention, were rude, unwieldy, and charged
with stone bullets only but BY degrees they
came to that perfection, both for the wall and the
hand, which now they have Whether now arch
cry or cunning is to be preferred, stand not here
to determine: only this ! am sure Of. that vic.
tories have been Of late purchased with the less
expense Q. life and blood than ever in former
times they were.
Apropos Of the same subject the town Of SEQ
dra, in Dalmatia, il thus desrribed:a -esha
The fifth town Of note Is ScodfA, or Scutafy,
which resisted the Turkish puissance q whole
year, and many days was battered with seventy
pieces Of ordnance Of wohdrous bignes, especially
that called the "Prince's PIECE, which carried q
stone or bulletof 1900 ponds weight This town
was gained BY Mahomet II, Ammo '7s. a