The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-26
GUNS OF LEATHER.
TIbetans SfilI Use Those Made I'm PrIm-
ifive Manner.


We are told that in the action of Red
Idol Gorge the Tibetans used about
twenty leather cannon and jingals, says
The London Standard. The fact would
be simply amusing II several hundred
of the poor wretches had not been shot
down with magazine rifles and Gatlings
and mountain guns. That spoils the
fun of the announcement. Though our
generals and soldiers are blameless. to
the public it seems almost as cruel as
the massacre of unarmed men. Leath-
er guns at best take rank with bows
and arrows-so we are apt to think in
these days OF scientific weapons. But
that depends on the manufacture and
the use made OF them. AS regards the
former point we have no information
yet. but the Tibetans contrived to main
tain a continuous fire" for no small
space of time, apparently They be-
gan as soon as the troops came In sight,
and persevered through a snowstorm
that lasted an hour If the balls had
hit they would have done their work
as effectually as the best ri1sd ord
nance. But "all the missiles fell short"
That was not necessarily because the
guns were made of leather. One of
the most important battles in the his
tory of the world was decided by such
artillery, and the struggle between
King and Parliament in this country
might have assumed another form but
for leather guns.
The credit of the invention is assign
ed to Robert Scot, a scion of the house
Of Beautrie, who levied 200 men for the
service of Gustavus Adolphus. That
great soldier always welcomed novel;
ties, and Scot speedily convinced him
that his contrivance would be useful
cannon of leather. strongly bound
with iron, could be turned out of any
dimensions required in a couple Of
days, and II would bear at least fifty
discharges. Accordingly. Gustavus
made great use of them. Providing an
extra supply before the battle of Leip-
sic. he silenced Tilly's artillery and
won the day. Scotch soldiers return
ing home. when the religious troubles
began, did not forget this useful in
vention. A son of the Earl of Hadding-
ton set up a foundry of leather guns
for the equipment Of the Covenanting
army in 1899 At Newtownford they
proved their value. The works raised
by Charles to protect his passage of
the river crumbled before them, and
the English soldiers, delighted with the
excuse, quietly walked away in differ
ent directions. But John Evelyn re-
cords a tradition that Henry VIII. used
create leatherne guns" at the siege of
Roulogne; in fact, the things them
selves were shown at the Tower in his
time Evelyn adds: My Lord Her
bert in his history doubts" But If Lord
Herbert. writing early in the seven
tAenth century. refers to leather guns,
whether used by Henry VIII. or anoth-
err It IS clear enough that Scot was not
the first inventor.
The strangest material ever used for
artillery is. no doubt. ice. but we are
assured by the most serious historians
that four guns and two moTtars so con-
structed were fired six times each with
out bursting. 1t was at the marriage
of Prince Galitzin, one of the brutal
tests which amused the Empress Anne
Of Russia. The Prince, an amiable and
Intelligent veteran, was her favorite
BUTT as a browning stroke of humor
she married him to a poor woman OF