40 Mr. king’s Account of a 
the fea near the Downs), drew up a very curious old 
fwivel gun, near eight feet in length. The barrel of the 
gun, which was about five feet long, was of brafs; but 
the handle (whereby it was to be turned or traverfed) 
which was about three feet in length, and alfo the fwivel 
and pivot on which it turned, were .of iron, and all round 
thefe latter, and.efpecially about the fwivel and pivot, 
were formed exceeding hard incruftations of fand, con- 
verted into a kind of ftone, of an exceeding ftrong tex- 
ture and firmnefs ; whereas round the barrel of the gun, 
except where it was near adjoining to the iron, there 
were no fiich incruftations at all, the greater part of .it 
being clean, and in good condition, juft as if it had ftill 
continued in ufe^. 
The incruftation round the iron part of this gun was 
alfo the snore deferring of attention, becaufe it inclofed 
within it, and alfo held faftly adhering to it on the out- 
fide, a number of.fhells and corallines, juft im the fame 
manner as they are often found in a folfil ftate. There 
were plainly to be diftinguifhed, on the outfide of this 
mafs of incruftation, pe&ens, cockles, limpets, mufcles, 
vermkuli mar ini and balini', and befides thefe, one bucci- 
(b) As there were feveral remarkable particularities in this gun, tending to 
explain fome curious fa&s in hiftory, I took tlue liberty io^give a full account of 
it, with a view to illuftrate them, in a memoir laid before the Antiquarian So- 
ciety laft year. 
num 
