The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-04-04
THE BEGINNING OF GINS.

In 1916 cross bows were in pretty gen
eral use among the English. but "a new
era was to be inaugUrated. for with the
army of Edward III. (at Cressy came
five small pieces of cannon. a species of
weapon supposed To he unknown in
France. though cannon are spoken of in
a sea engagement in the 18th century
between the King of Tmis and Moor
ish king of Seville. BY whom the five
pieces of cannon We're made is uncertain:
but lie Blond. in his Treatise on Artil-
lery," says that the earliest guns '.were
of very clumsy and inconyenient make
being usually formed of several piecc4of
iron fitted together lengthwise. and then
hooped with iron rings: and as they
were used for the throwing of stones II
prOdigious weight. they were of euor-
nous bore. - The ',Dictiouare Mill
taire" (175S) asserts that cannon were
known in France" " according 90 some
authors, in 1893. under Philip. nut
known OF only. Nevertheless. 90 savs
Noltaire, It'll the reign of Charles VIII.
artillery continued i'm its infancy. They
did not make use of artillery in SieEes
till the reign of Charles Y. King Of
France; and the spear was their princi-
pal weapon till the reign of Henry ". -
No more mention was made of cannon
in the English wars until l4U5. when
We are told that. at the siege Of Ber-
wick. shot from one great gun so shat
tered a tower that the gates were at
once thrown open bv the alarmed garIi-
son. In the year 1860. James the Sec
ond of Scotland lost his life bvthc burst
ing Of one of these rude implements of
war. At the siege of Roxburgh. stand
ing in the vicinity of a gun which was
about to be discharged. the rude mass
composed of ribs of iron. bound together
by hoops of the same metal. burst a,sru-
der, and fragment striking the kinrn1f-
the thigh. broke it asuuder. and killed
him on the spot. Hand guns were not
then invented. but at the battle of Chirp-
ing Barnet ll47l mention IS made II
300 Flemings armed with hand guns.
but of their construction history does not
tell. At the battle OF Floddeu l513.
James of Scotland had with him thirty
pieces of artillery, which had been cast
for him at Edinburgh. bv the master
gunner of the Castle. Robert Borthwick.
Seven Of these guns were of great beauty,
and were known as tl,e seven Si~ters5f
glish were Of inferior make to those used
by the Scots. being composed of hoops
and liars.
The first cast-iron gums Of English
manufacture were made a. CuNtcd in
Sussex, in 1543, ly Ralph IIogge. master
founder. About this time there also
came into use guns called arquebusses.
which were fired from a rest planted in
to the earth. The French were now
making rapid strides in the manufacture
of brass guns. for in l545. when Francis
|. was preparing To invade England vro
find him taccording to Pere Daniel r,ss-
SesSinG in his fleet one ship carving 100
brass guns. At the battle Of Pmlie
(lj43) pistols Were in use among tie
Germans and others employed fu the
A-AA--ifF''l ftaAile lt- NsLf-llfl'a were H.tlh
provided with iron balls instead Of the
ponderous stone ones in use previous tc.
this date. Here also we find mention OF
the wheel-lock pistol. Carbines. pc
tronels, and dragons are frequently
mentioned among the firearms of the
age. The first was so named from hay
ing been used i'm the vessels called car
abs; tine second from being fired with
its square butt plated ON the chest: The
third, from its muzzlc being frequently
decorated with a dragons head-hence
the troopers who used it came sJllfse-
quently to Ice named dTagoons. The
wheel-lock hackbut was used ia Eliza
beth's reign. with the rest for The heavy
matchbox, but the powder WAS now
made up ii eases, each contaming a
complete charge, to facilitate the leading
of the piece and the strap Ia which they
were attach WAS named q collar or
hludoli;.T