HOPLISTICS. 489 



occasioned by the accidental explosion of the materials, throwing the 

 pestle out of a common mortar. Fire arms, appear to have been 

 first used by the Venetians, in 1330 ; and by the English at the battle 

 of Cressy, (Cre$y), in 1346. The first pieces, properly called cul- 

 verins, or bombards, were so light as to be carried by hand ; and 

 most of them were made of bars of iron, or even staves of wood, 

 bound together like casks, with iron hoops. The projectiles were 

 of stone or lead, until the year 1400 ; when cast iron balls were first 

 used ; and cannon began to be constructed of enormous size : some 

 of them being upwards of 20 feet long ; and others of more than 2 

 feet calibre. It was at length found that cannon of moderate dimen- 

 sions were more serviceable ; such as are now used. 



The primitive culverin, by slightly reducing its dimensions, became 

 the arquebus, or harquebuss ; a hand gun, which was fired by a 

 match, while resting on a staff thrust into the ground for support. 

 The contrivance of a lock, to fire it, appears to have been made 

 about the year 1520, when it took the name of matchlock ; and this 

 weapon, being farther diminished, about 1630, became the modern 

 musket. The plug, or wooden handled bayonet, was added about 

 the year 1647 ; but the socket bayonet, which admits of firing while 

 it is fixed, was not invented until 1700, atBayonne ; soon after which, 

 the pike was entirely superseded. The pistol, was invented at Pis- 

 toiia in Italy, about the year 1 570 ; and the carabine, by constructing 

 it with a spiral grooved bore, became essentially the modern rifle, 

 about the year 1720. The invention of bombs, or shells, is attributed 

 to Prince Pandulf Malatesta, about the year 1450 : but large pieces, 

 called mortars, were used somewhat earlier, for throwing stones, or 

 heated balls. Bombs were first used in France, by Malthus, in 1634. 

 The coehorn, a small mortar, was invented about 1670, by Coehorn, 

 a Dutch engineer : the howitzer, appears to have been invented in 

 Germany, about the year 1690; and the carronade, a short gun, of 

 large calibre, was first made at Carron, in Scotland, in 1774. 



Our farther remarks on Hoplistics, will be distributed under the 

 heads of Ordnance ; Ammunition ; and Equipments. 



1. The name Ordnance, is applied to every kind of cannon, or 

 heavy fire arms, whether for land or sea service : but the duties of 

 the ordnance department, at least in our own service, extend to the 

 inspection and preservation of small arms, and weapons of every 

 kind ; as well as to the preparation of ammunition, treated of in the 

 following section. The term artillery, is also applied to heavy guns; 

 but generally in reference to the land service, and including also the 

 troops by which the guns are manned. The principal parts of any 

 cannon, or piece of ordnance, are the knob and neck of the cascable, 

 at the rear end ; the breech or base, and base ring, behind the vent ; 

 the first reinforce, extending from the vent, about one-third of the 

 length, to the first reinforce ring ; the second reinforce, or middle 

 part, extending forward to the second reinforce ring ; the dolphins, 

 or handles ; the trunnions or pivots, on which the piece rests, with 

 their rimbases, strengthening and connecting them with the piece , 

 and, lastly, the chase, or forward part, including the astragal or ring, 

 and the tulip, or swell, the front surface of which is called the face, 

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