182 Mr. F. A. Abel on the Composition of the 



fortress, was placed by the King's desire in front of the Royal 

 Artillery Barracks at Woolwich. 



This gun is not only interesting as a trophy, but remarkable 

 for its very considerable size, — its length being 16 feet 4 inches, 

 its largest diameter (at the base ring) 3 feet 3 inches, and that 

 of the muzzle 2 feet. Its calibre is 8 inches, and its weight 

 about 17| tons. From the muzzle to a short distance behind 

 the trunnions, the gun exhibits comparatively few and unim- 

 portant imperfections as a casting; but the portion which 

 reaches from the cascable to a large ornamental ring (in the 

 form of a coil) near the rear of the trunnions, is exceedingly 

 imperfect, the metal being spongy, and exhibiting cavities of 

 some size in several places. The thickness of this portion of 

 the gun is considerably greater than that of the remainder ; and 

 at the ornamental coil-ring, above referred to, its thickness 

 diminishes abruptly, while from this point to the muzzle the 

 gun tapers slightly and uniformly. An ornamental scroll 

 engraved round the gun immediately adjoins the coil-ring just 

 spoken of, and seems as if it were partially and irregularly 

 covered over by the latter. There is, moreover, an appearance 

 of the metal having been roughly chiseled at this part, as if 

 small projecting portions had been cut away, after the orna- 

 mental scroll had been cut upon the metal. 



These points, added to the great dissimilarity between the 

 appearances of the surface and the colour of the metal, at the 

 breech, and those of the remainder of the gun, evidently show 

 that a species of envelope, reaching from the cascable nearly to 

 the trunnions, has been cast upon the original gun, for the 

 purpose of either strengthening or adding to the weight of that 

 portion; and the circumstance that the projecting coil-ring, 

 which forms the boundary of this envelope, is partially super- 

 posed upon an ornamental scroll, appears to favour the supposi- 

 tion that the breech had been strengthened or thickened by the 

 second casting, after the original gun had been, at any rate, 

 fully completed. The gun is highly ornamented, and bears 

 several Persic inscriptions, of which the following are the trans- 

 lations : — 



1. On the chase, the name and titles of the monarch in whose 

 reign the gun was cast. " The Father of Victory, the Reviver 

 of Religion ; Muhammad, Aurang-zeb, Alam-gir, The Warrior, 

 the victorious King." 



2. On the swell of the gun, the date of its production : " Year 

 of the Hejira 1087, the 20th of the Reign." (This corresponds 

 to a.d. 1677.) 



3. Under the right trunnion, the name of the gun : " The Gun, 

 the aid of Ali" (the hero-saint of the Indian Mohammedans). 



