1872.] Mediaval and Modern Ordnance. 349 
over 50 tonsweight. Unfortunately a diagram with detailed 
measurements of these guns could not be obtained in time 
to be inserted in the accompanying illustration; but their 
projectiles are shown for the sake of comparison. These 
cannon, shaped somewhat like a huge soda-water bottle, 
are cast-iron shell guns, cooled from the interior; at pre- 
sent, however, they may be looked upon as merely experi- 
mental pieces, and they would give no signs of injury before 
bursting. Lieut.-Colonel Owen rightly points out that the 
bursting of one of these guns would probably completely 
paralyse a ship’s crew and destroy all confidence in them. 
Our wrought-iron gun, on the other hand, always gives timely 
notice by the tell-tale gas-escape channel if any injury happens 
to the interior steel tube, and an explosive burst is all but 
impossible with proper powder if not with other explosives. 
The great 1000-pounder of 50 tons, which was exhibited at 
the Paris Exhibition by Herr Krupp, of Essen, in 1867, 
must be remembered by all who saw it on that occasion. 
The manufacture of this steel gun continued during 
night and day for sixteen months at a cost of £15,750, and 
resulted in this unique specimen. It has a forged inner 
tube strengthened with three layers of rings over the 
powder-chamber and two layers over the muzzle portion; 
the rings having been forged from ingots without welding. 
All these last-named pieces of large ordnance may be looked 
upon as experimental weapons, and therefore hardly 
come within the scope of comparison with the medizval 
ordnance which were in actual use, and served in action, 
sieges, &c. ; and therefore the first service gun which we have 
to compare in weight and size of piece, bore, and projectile, 
is the lately adopted English 35-ton gun. This has been so 
lately described in the “‘ Quarterly Journal of Science” as to 
need no further detailed description, which is familiarly 
known to allinterested in heavy artillery. The first of these 
which was built, “‘ The Woolwich Infant,” notwithstanding 
the injuries it sustained during the crucial tests to which it 
was subjected at proof, promises well for the future ;* and 
others have been and are being manufactured. Already 
nine others have passed the proof, and four more are all but 
ready for the proof-butts. But however suitable for naval 
purposes (for instance, the four guns of the Devastation’s 
turrets will be able to hurl simultaneously a concentrated 
broadside of 15 tons weight of iron projectiles on any given 
* The defective inner steel tube of the ‘‘ Woolwich Infant” is to be replaced 
by a new one, when it will be as good as ever it was. 
