THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
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Sanuto, bombarded the Austrian port of Zara/ and, according to Chinazzo, 
took Cataro by means of bombards in the same year. 2 
Innumerable other instances of the employment of bombards in the attack 
and defence might be cited, but it would be to little purpose; for enough 
has been said to shew that they were in common use throughout Italy at 
this period, each state from north to south constantly making war on its 
neighbours, and thus requiring a powerful armament of these comparatively 
new, but invaluable weapons. But it is impossible to pass over without 
notice the famous war of Chioggia between the Venetians and Genoese in 
1379-80, in which the bombards played so important a part. The story of 
this war is told by many authors, but we rely most upon the chronicles of 
Daniello Chinazzo, and Andrea Gataro, and especially those of the latter 
author. He informs us that the Venetians, to close the port of Chioggia, 
placed in the middle of the canal a vessel ( cocca ) well supplied with bom¬ 
bards, and the Genoese planted many great bombards on the bank, and fired 
at the vessel, which the Venetians were constrained to abandon. They retired 
to S. Domenico, and commenced to arm three barques ( barconi ) with bom¬ 
bards. A battle was fought on the bridge near Chioggia, and bombards were 
employed both by the Venetians and the Genoese, whose captain, Pietro 
Doria, sent some of his galleys to aid in the fight. Finally the Genoese took 
Chioggia, and there placed “ molte barche armate con balestrieri assai e 
bombarde;” and the Venetians, in abandoning their position at Malamocco, 
first withdrew their bombards. 
But while affairs were proceeding so prosperously for the Genoese, the 
Venetian populace, in despair at the result of the late actions, raised a 
tumult, and called loudly on the government to liberate Vettore Pisani, who 
had been imprisoned on account of his losing the action of Pola. The 
government set him at liberty, and created him, at the people's demand, naval 
commander-in-chief; when at once fortune turned in favour of the Venetians; 
for Pisani, in no way resenting the severity with which he had been treated, but- 
animated by a pure spirit of patriotism, so greatly encouraged all by his 
counsel and his actions, that the Genoese, hitherto conquerors, soon became 
the vanquished in the war. 
The Paduans and Genoese now used every effort to protect themselves 
from attack: they constructed a work at Malamocco, and armed it with 
“ grosse bombarde, e con altre bombarde.” They had galleys in the canal 
furnished with bombards, to attack which the Venetians sent a number of 
small boats, “et ogni barchettaavevaunabombarda in proda," and they fired 
at the Genoese, doing them much harm. Pisani sent to Treviso for all sorts 
of weapons, including bombards, and on every occasion where there was any 
fighting, there we hear of the bombards making such a noise that it seemed 
“ che il mondo venisse in terra ” or “ volesse finire." 
Early in January 1380, the Venetians retook Loredo, and Torre Nuova, 
by means of two great bombards; of which “una tirava pietre di libre 195, 
Faltra di libre 140 ; et una era nominata la Trivisana, Faltra la Veneziana." 3 
Pisani established these guns in battery on the bank, and proceeded to 
1 Muratori, Rer. Ital. Script. Tom. 22, col. 681. 
3 Ibid. Tom. 16, col. 716. 
* According to Chinazzo, this was called “ Vittoria.” 
