GUN 



GUN 



and its taste acrid. It is partially soluble 

 in water and alcohol. 3. Euphorbium, 

 obtained from the euphorbia officinalis, a 

 native of Ethiopia, by making incisions in 

 the plant. It is brought from Africa in 

 the form of tears, is soluble in alcohol. 

 It has no smell ; after a time it communi- 

 cates a burning taste to the tongue. It is 

 regarded as poisonous. 4. GALBANUM, 

 which see. 5. GAMBOGE, which see. 6. 

 Myrrh, which is brought from the East 

 Indies, in the form of tears, is light, brit- 

 tle, of a reddish colour, and has an unc- 

 tuous feel ; it is bitter and aromatic ; it is 

 soluble in water and alcohol in slight de- 

 grees 7. Opoponax, obtained from the 

 pastenaca opoponax, a perennial plant, 

 which grows wild in the south of Europe. 

 This is extracted by wounding the stock 

 or root, and is known here in the form 

 of round drops or tears, or in irregular 

 masses of a reddish colour. It is bitter 

 and acrid to the taste, and with a peculiar 

 smell. It forms a milky solution with 

 water, and yields an essential oil by dis- 

 tillation. 8. Sapagenum, supposed to be 

 had from the ferula persica, and brought 

 in large masses, or distinct tears, from 

 Alexandria. It has a hot taste and disa- 

 greeable smell. It is moderately soluble 

 in alcohol, but much more so in water. 

 By distillation it yields a fetid volatile oil. 

 From some experiments made upon ipe- 

 cacuanha, it is thought to contain a gum 

 resin. All the gum resins that have been 

 analysed have been found to contain am- 

 monia. 



GUN, a fire arm or weapon of offence, 

 which forcibly discharges a ball, shot, or 

 other offensive matter, through a cylin- 

 drical barrel, by means of gunpowder. 

 Gun is a general name, under which are 

 included divers, or even most species of 

 fire arms-. They may be divided into 

 great and small. 



Great guns, called also by the general 

 name cannons, make what we also call 

 ordnance or artillery ; under which come 

 the several sorts of cannon. See CANNON, 

 AKTIIT.ERY, &c. 



GUN is also a name given to an instru- 

 ment used by miners in cleaving rocks 

 with gun-powder. It is an iron cylinder 

 of an inch and a half thick, and about six 

 inches long ; and having a flat side to re- 

 ceive the side of a wedge ; and a hole 

 drilled through it, to communicate with 

 the inside of the hole in the rock : this 

 hole is made about eight inches deep, 

 and in the bottom of it is put about two 

 or three ounces of gun-powder : then this 

 gun is driven forcibly in, so as to fill up 



the hole, and the wedge is driven in oti 

 its flat side, to secure it. The priming 

 at the hole is then fired by a train, and 

 the orifice being so well stopped by this 

 gun, the force of the powder is determin- 

 ed to the circumjacent parts of the rock, 

 which it splits. 



GUN room, in a ship, the apartment un- 

 der the great cabin, where the master- 

 gunner and his crew rendezvous, get 

 ready their cartridges, Stc. and do all 

 things belonging to their business. 



GUNDELIA, in botany, so called in 

 honour of Dr. Andrew Gundelscheimer, 

 who found this plant in his travels, in 

 company with Tourneforte, in the Levant; 

 a genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia Se- 

 gregata class and order. Natural order 

 of Composite Capitatae. Cinarocephalae, 

 Jussieu. Essential character : calyx 

 scarcely any, five-flowered ; corolla tubu- 

 lar, male and hermaphrodite ; receptacle 

 chaffy ; down none. There is but one 

 species, viz. G. tournefortii, a milky 

 plant, with alternate prickly leaves; 

 flowers terminating. It is a native of the 

 Levant. 



GUNNER, an officer appointed for the 

 service of the cannon ; or one skilled to 

 fire the guns. In the Tower of London, 

 and other garrisons, as well as in the 

 field, this officer carries a field staff, and 

 a large powder horn in a string over his 

 left shoulder ; he marches by the guns, 

 and when there is any apprehension 

 of danger, his field staff is armed with 

 match ; his business is to lay the gun 

 to pass, and to help to load and traverse 

 her. 



GUNNER of a ship, or master-gunner, 

 has the charge of all the ordnance the 

 ship carries, to see that they be service- 

 ably mounted, and sufficiently supplied 

 with sponges, ladles, and rammers ; that 

 in foul weather they be traversed within 

 board, especially those of the lower tier, 

 and that the ports be shut, and caulked 

 up ; and that at all times they may be 

 well lashed, and made fast, lest any of 

 them break loose, to the imminent dan- 

 ger of foundering the ship. In the 

 time of an engagement, the gunner is to 

 see that every piece be sufficiently man- 

 ned ; he is answerable to give an account 

 of all his charge upon demand. He has 

 a mate and quarter-gunners for his assist- 

 ance. 



GUNNER, master, a patent officer of the 

 ordnance, who is appointed to teach all 

 such as learn the art of gunnery, and to 

 certify to the master-general the ability 

 of any person recommended to be one of 



