Sir Richard Hawkins informs us, that in a discourse which he held with the Spanish General, Michael Angell, the latter demanded, “for what purpose served the little short arrowes which we had in our shippe, and those in great quantity. I satisfied him that they were for our muskets. Hereof they prooved to profit themselves after; but for that they wanted the tampkins, which are first to be driven home, before the arrow be put in, and as they understood not the secret, they rejected them as uncertaine, and therefore not to be used; but of all the shot used now adayes, for the annoying of an ennemie in fight by sea, few are of greater moment for many respects, which I hold not convenient to treat of in public.” Thus it appears that bullets of metal, have been fired out of bows and slings, stone balls out of guns, and arrows from muskets. The following are the names of different descriptions of small arms, viz:-- Hand-cannon Hand-gun Arquebus Caliver Petronel Scorpion Dragon Musketoon Hague Demi-hague Esclopette Currier Fusil Hand-mortar Blunderbuss Musket Pistol Dag Tack THE BAYONET. ~Pointed stake.~ It was common with archers to place a long pointed stake in the ground to protect themselves against cavalry. On the arquebus replacing the bow the same practice was continued. ~Pike.~ From the earliest ages it had been customary to arm some of the infantry with pikes, and in the middle ages when cavalry was so much employed in armies, it was found impossible to dispense with this weapon; for some time after the introduction of fire-arms, only a portion of the infantry were armed with them, and the remainder were pikemen. The proportion of each varied at different times, from one half to two thirds, but as the proportion of musketeers increased it became necessary to contrive some method, by which they could defend themselves. ~_Marlets-de-fer_ with touch.~ ~Rest, with touch.~ ~Swines’ feathers.~ In the latter part of the reign of James I., some attempts were made to convert the musketeer’s rest into a defence against cavalry. _Marlets-de-fer_ and small pole-axes had a touch enclosed in them, which by touching a spring opened a small valve and sprung out. The musket rest, instead of having a wooden shaft, was now made of a thin tube of iron, like these pole-axes covered with leather, and armed with the touch. Rests thus armed were said to contain Swedish or Swines’ feathers. It was found however that the musketeer could not do his duty when armed with musket, sword, and rest, (especially if he had a Swedish feather to manage with them) which led to the abandonment of the rest during the Protectorate. ~Sword stuck in muzzle.~ ~Bayonets in France, 1671.~