MALTA AND SICILY. 
187 
some ancient armour, guns, and cross-bows. 
Here also is a very curious old cannon, com¬ 
posed of a thin copper tube about three 
inches in diameter, round which a small rope 
is wound, till it is brought to the requisite 
thickness and strength. Of course it would 
bear but a very small charge of powder, but 
it might have been considered a formidable 
weapon at a time when the science of 
gunnery was in its infancy. We were in¬ 
formed that this curious old “ rope gun” was 
brought by one of the grand masters from 
the island of Rhodes. This subject reminds 
me of another singular kind of ordnance 
with which some parts of the coast were for¬ 
merly defended. These are immense mor¬ 
tars, wdiich have been bored out of the solid 
rock; and it is said they were charged with 
several barrels of powder, and about a ton of 
large stones, which being fired into the air, 
