involved in the Construction of Artillery. 321 



" The following are its exact dimensions: — 



French English 

 Metres. Inches. 



Length of the chamber, outside, 1-53 = CO'237 



Length of the chamber, inside, 1'30 = 51'182 



Average diameter of the exterior of the chamber, . . 0-73= 28-741 



Average internal diameter of the chamber, .... 025 = 9-84:3 



Average thickness of the -wall of the chamber, . . . 0-24 = 9-449 



Length of the chase, outside, 3-49 = 137-404 



Interior length of the chase, 323 = 127168 



Average exterior diameter of the chase, 090 = 35-434 



Interior diameter of the chase 0-65 = 25-591 



Average thickness of the wall of the chase, .... 012 = 4724 

 Thickness of the longitudinal bars of the chase at the 



mouth of the cannon 0-45 = 1-772 



Thickness of the exterior rings, varying from 



0-08 metres = 3-150 inches, to 004 = 1575" 



The Gantois are alleged to have possessed a serpentine at the siege of Oudenarde, in 

 1382, o^ fifty feet in length. 



I am indebted for the preceding dimensions to the favour of Mons. Quetelet, of 

 Bruxelles, and of Professor Duprez, of Gand. 



The Mons Meg of Scotland. — Through the kindness of Colonel Moody, R. E., I am 

 indebted to Captain R. Grant, R.E., of the Commanding Royal Engineers' Staff, Edinburgh, 

 for the following particulars as to Mons Meg, — perhaps the next ancient bombard, in size 

 and interest, in Europe, which, after many changes of place and fortune, now rests as a 

 trophy in the King's Bastion, Edinburgh Castle: — 



Formed of longitudinal stave bars, in one ply only, and of superimposed rings, driven 

 and shrunk-on upon the taper, in one ply also, the general construction of this gun is 

 similar to that of Gand, and may be distinctly understood from the section above. The 

 mode of connexion between the longitudinal bars of the chase and of the chamber cannot 

 now be clearly ascertained, being covered by the exterior rings, and from the effects of cor- 

 rosion; that which is drawn above, therefore, is so far inferential. There seems ground 

 for believing that, in some instances, the chamber-pieces were fixed to the chase' by the 

 interlacing of a rude set of ring notches in the overlapping ends of the longitudinal bars, 

 and, according to Piobert, they were sometimes screwed together. The chamber-piece 

 Captain Grant considers to be formed of rings welded into one piece; but this is impro- 

 bable, considering the limited forging capabilities of the age in which it was made. The 

 joints of the rings were very well fitted at this important part; and ancient rust, converted 

 by time into crystalline hematite, as hard as the iron itself, has so filled the interstices as 



