Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-03-14
The Beginning Of Guns.

The beginning OF Guns.
In 1916 cross bows were in pretty
general use among the English, but a
rev era in war was to be inaugurated.
for with the army OF Edward III. (at
Cressy) came Ave small pieces of can.
non, q species of weapon supposed to
be unknown in France, though cannon
are spoken of in sea engagement in
the 18th century between the King of
Tunis and Moorish king of Seville.
By whom the FIVE pieces of cannon were
made is uncertain but LIE Blond, in
his treatise on Artillery" says that
the earliest guns "were of very clumsy
and inconvenient make, being usually
formed of several pieces of iron fitted
together lengthwise, and then hoped
with iron rings; and as they were used
for the throwing Of stones Of prodigious
weight, they were of enormous bore"
The Dictionaire Militaire" (175S)
asserts that cannon "were known in
France" according to some authors, in
1888, under Phillip, but known of only.
Nevertheless" says Voltaire, "till
the reign of Charles VIII, artillery
continued in its infancy. They did not
make use of artillery in sieges till the
reign of Charles V. King of France !;
and the spear was their principal weap-
on till the reign of Henry w." No
more mention is made of cannon in the
English wars until 1405, when we are
told that; at the siege of Berwick a shot
from one great gun so shattered tower
that the gates were at once thrown open
by the alarmed garrison. In the year
1460, James the Second of Scotland
lost his life by the bursting of one of
these rude implements of war. At the
siege of Roxburgh, standing in the vi
cinity of gun which was about to be
discharged, the rude mass composed of
ribs of iron, bound together by hoops
of the same metal, burst asunder, and
fragment striking the king on the thigh,
broke it asunder, and killed him on the
spot. Hand guns were not then in
vented, but at the battle of Chipping
Barnet (1471) mention is made of 800
Jennings armed with hand guns, but
of the construction history does not
tell. At the battle of Flodden (1513),
James of Scotland had with him thirty
pieces of artillery, which had been cast
for him at Edinburgh, by the master
gunner of the Castle, Robert Borthwick.
Seven of these guns were OF great beau
ty, and were known as the "Seven
Sisters of Borthwick." The cannon of
the English were of inferior make to
those used by the Scots, being COM
posed of hoops and bars.
The first cast-iron guns of English
manufacture were made at Buxted in
Sussex, in 1913, by Ralph Hogge, mas
ter founder. About this time there also
came into use guns called arquebuses,
which were fred from q rest planted
into the earth. The French were now
making rapid strides in the manufac-
ture of brass guns, for in 1915, when
Francis I. was preparing to invade Eng
land, we find him according to Pere
Daniel possessing in his fleet one ship
carrying 100 brass guns. At the battle
of Pinkie (1543) pistols were in use
among the Germans and others EN-.
ployed in the English army. The can
non we're now provided with iron balls
instead of the ponderous stone ones in
use previous to this date. Here also
we find mention of the wheel-lock pis-
toll. Carbines, petronels. and dragons
are frequently mentioned among the
firearms of the age. The first was so
named from having been used in the
vessels called carabs the second from
being fired with its square butt planted
on the chest the third, from its muz-
zle being frequently decorated with q
dragons head-hence the troopers who
used it came subsequently to be named
dragons. The wheel.leck hackbut
was used in Elizabeth's reign, with the
rest for the heavy matchbox, but the
powder was now made up in cases. each
containing a complete charge to facili-
tate the loading Of the piece, and the
strap to which they were attached was
named collar or bandolier.-Ne,ccastle
Chronicle.