involved in the Construction of Artillery. 337 



1796. In France, bronze artillery proves again to be of little durability. La Martilliere 

 supposes that at the peace there will not be less than 1410 of tliese cannon to be recast, 

 being completely unserviceable. He proposes to make, of wrought-iron, small chambered 

 pieces, such as were formerly used at sea, loading at the breech, to replace them. 



1804. They manufacture in France wrought-iron piece.''. 



1812. Fabrication of a wrought-iron 3-pounder at Glciwitz. 



1813. In France the Iron Company of St. Etienne ofTers, during the frantic efforts 

 made to restore the vast materiel lost in 1812 by Napoleon I., and instantly required for the 

 impending campaign, to deliver daily eight 24-pounders of wrought-iron. An 8-pounder, 

 presented for trial, sustains four discharges with 3 lbs. of powder, and five with 4 lbs. This 

 piece appears to have been composed of hars ■wound round an inner ivelded iron tube, and 

 joined into one mass with silver solder, and a screw breech. The cost of fabrication was not 

 to exceed that of recasting bronze pieces. 



1820. Professor Persy, in his Notions on the Forms of Cannon, proposed to forge iron 

 pieces on a core. 



1820. Mallet and Pottinger supply wrought-iron 3-pounder guns, forged in one piece 

 with screw breeches and flint locks, for the Coast-guard Service in Ireland, to the British 

 Government. 



1828. Horton takes out a patent for wrought-iron cannon. The wronght-iron cannon 

 made at Gleiwitz in 1812 is proved. It becomes much heated, and cracks; but sustains, 

 notwithstanding, a great number of rounds, with a charge of powder half the weight of 

 the ball. 



1830. A cannon made of bar iron, wrapped spirally, and soldered with copper (hard 

 soldered) does not sustain the proof fire. 



Meyer, in his " E.xperiences sur les Bouches a Feu," &.C., says: — Mr. Rhodes, a skilful 

 and practical naval constructor, employed for some time by the Turkish Government, 

 states that there are (in 1834) in the Arsenal at Constantinople, many wrought-iron cannon, 

 of calibers varying from 100-pounders to the smallest sizes, which are no longer con- 

 sidered suitable for service. By direction of the Sultan, some of them have been cut 

 up, both in cross sections and longitudinally, to ascertain the manner of their fabrica- 

 tion. They were found to be composed of bars surrounded by bands, like the staves and 

 hoops of a cask, — the whole united together, those of larger size being formed on a maun- 

 drell, and the smaller ones forged solid, and bored out. There were several successive 

 series of these bars and hoops, laid on each other to make the requisite thickness of the 

 metal, and the junctions of these layers, as also of the bars and hoops of tlie same layer, 

 were distinctly perceptible. 



1843. The large wrought-iron gun, which afterwards burst on board tlie Princeton, is 

 constructed by Messrs. Ward, of Massachusets, U. S. 



