Plate 196. 



WHALING GUNS. 



Fig. 1, English barpoon-giin and gnuharpoon now in ximt on Ihi' .Scotch whalers. 



Fig. 2, An early form of English whalin;;-giiii. 



Figs. 3, 4, 5, Muson and C'nnninghani nionntiug boat-j^un. 



Fig. 3 is a pcrspet'tive of tln^ gnn inonnted in th« how of the wliale-hoal, ready for use; Fig. 4 is a top view of 

 the gun and the casting C and trunnions; and Fig. .'> is a sectional view of the hox E, which is lixed in thi^ clumsy 

 cleat 15 of the boat A, at E. In Fig. .'> the parts e and/are of metal, and d' is of some elastic snhslauce. The gnn is 

 mounted at C on the standard P, which passes through the cushion-blocks E and enters the lloor at P'. In Fig. 4 bh 

 are the trunnions, which are su|>iiorte(l by I he slides a. a. Rubber cushions d, d are i)laced around the slides a, a and 

 at the rear of the trunnions d, d. The operation of tlie apparatus is as tollows: The harpoon II, with line o' attached, 

 is loaded into the muzzle. When the gun is fired, the force of the recoil is caught on the cushions dd. shown in Fig. 

 4, and partially by the cushion in hox E, Fig. .">, thus converting the sudden blow of a recoil into a push. 



