The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-27
TIE EARLY USE or ARTILLERY.


Fhe Claims Of the Chinese Red-Hoa
shot--The Palxhan Characterization
When Romulus was marking out the
limits of his new city gunpowder was
already known, and 1900 years before
the birth of Schwartz pieces of ordnance
had been cast in China. The Moors used
guns in Spain in the beginning of 1900.
II not in 100. The claims of the Chinese
having been generally admitted, it is
supposed that ordnance reached Europe
through the Moors of Spain or the Vene-
tians. Neither, however, had any con-
nection with China. It is unaccountable
that it should not have been perceived by
the Turks, who conquered the northern
portion Of China, in the early part of the
18th century, and were established all
around the Black sea, with the exception
of strip between Varna and the Bos-
phorus. It is now doubted whether, in
deed, the Black Prince did use guns at
the battle of Cressy; but there is no
doubt that Murad 1. had before then EN-
ployed them at the battle of Cossovo.
On both sides they were used, the Turks
having already instructed the populations
with whom they were at war. Employ
ing artillery in the field, it was easy ire
versing the process in Europe) to apply it
TO fortresses; the peculiar nature of the
straits Of the Bosphorus and the Darda-
nelles invited to its use.
Tpfhe batteries placed above Constan-
--tinople is attributed the fall of that city,
the supplies from the Black sea being cut
of. AT a subsequent period and after
the Venetians had penetrated into the
sea of Marmora, they equally fortified
the Dardanelles. The enormous caliber
of the guns placed there still astonishes
the traveller. In the campaign that fol-
lowed the capture of Constantinople they
had 800 guns. The siege train was
equally remarkable for weight of metal
and number Of guns. At the seige of
Scutari they cast into the place shot of
fourteen hundred-weight. At that of
Neuhoessel, in Hungary, on the first day
700 shots were gathered by the beseiged
OF not less three palms in diameter. The
largeness Of caliber was not the only
point on which they anticipated modern
invention. They employed red-hot shot
at the siege of Vienna.
The howitzer seems also to have been
an invention of theirs, and also its sue
cessive improvements; and even down to
the time of Selim III they ran ahead of
Europe in invention. One species,
adopted by the Russians under the name
OF @Unicorn," gave rise to the Paixhan
gun for red-hot shot and horizontal
shells. A battery Of unicorns was taken
from the Russians by the French after it
had done good service at the battle of
Smolensko. Napoleon, on seeing one of
the captured guns next morning, is said
30 have exclaimed: ~Ce sont ces diables
la qui nous ont attrapes de 81 loin hier. -
An improved instrument Of this kind
was the consequence of their attracting
Napoleon's attention, and the celebrated
Paixhan gun subsequently appeared.
On one Of these, and that of almost the
smallest caliber, was based the new sys-
tenn Of field artillery by Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte. With this instinct for war.
like Instruments, and as the first intro
ducers of artillery into European war.
fare, the Turkish corps of artillery must
have occupied an important place in
their armies. The same instinct extended
10 Notifications. Administrative dis
order has prevented the application, and
therefore, seeing the dilapidation of theii
walls and the neglected all sorts of work.
which has prevailed for a couple of cen
turtles or more, these statements must ap
pear extraordinary and incredible; bu
they rest on indubitable authority. The,
first used fianlking-walls and minet
glacis; they first made regular ap
proaches, aud devised the system of zig
gags and parallels. The latter were dis
tinctly planned at the Siege of Zegedetty
under Soleyman; and the former ar
mentioned at that of Gambia, though o
a peculiar fashion, and everything eacl
other as the scales of a fish. They ais
first introduced mining, and even befor
the use Of gunpowder reduced cities b.
burning down the curtains of the WALL
National Review.