-------------------+-------+----------- |Weight |Comparative ---- | of | Weight. | Guns. | -------------------+-------+----------- | cwts. | 12-inch Gun | 90 | 1 to 112 10 do. | 84 | 1 „ 82 8 do. | 65 | 1 „ 107 8 do. | 60 | 1 „ 96 8 do. | 50 | 1 „ 82 32-pounder | 64 | 1 „ 224 Do. | 56 | 1 „ 196 Do. | 48 | 1 „ 168 Do. | 40 | 1 „ 140 Do. | 32 | 1 „ 112 Do. | 25 | 1 „ 84 24-pounder | 50 | 1 „ 233 Do. | 48 | 1 „ 219 Do. | 42 | 1 „ 186 18-pounder | 42 | 1 „ 261 Do. | 37-1/2| 1 „ 233 12-pounder | 34 | 1 „ 318 Do. | 29 | 1 „ 270 Do. | 21 | 1 „ 196 9-pounder | 31 | 1 „ 285 Do. | 26 | 1 „ 323 Do. | 17 | 1 „ 211 6-pounder | 23 | 1 „ 429 Do. | 17 | 1 „ 327 68-pound Carronades| 30 | 1 „ 59 42 do. | 22-1/4| 1 „ 58 32 do. | 17 | 1 „ 62 32 do. | 25 | 1 „ 96 24 do. | 13 | 1 „ 55 18 do. | 10 | 1 „ 56 12 do. | 6 | 1 „ 56 -------------------+-------+----------- The recoil, which in all the before-mentioned guns is very great, arises from the blow communicated to the iron in immediate contact with the explosive fluid. The granulatory system of the metal transmits to those grains, or crystals, immediately behind them, the blow or concussion they are subjected to, and these again to others, and so on, until the vibration has passed through the metal, from the interior of the breech to the exterior of the gun. I am satisfied that in all small guns, from their slight substance, recoil is communicated a great deal quicker than in larger ones; hence arises the well-known fact that in shooting you receive a knock nearly simultaneous with the explosion. The greater and heavier the gun (even carry it up to General Miller’s gun of 84 cwt.) if the proportion which the shot bears to it be not too great, the less will be the velocity of recoil. But in carronades, as will be seen, the proportions are as high as 1 to 55, while in long guns, it is 1 to 429; a very considerable degree of difference. Our ancestors had but a limited knowledge of the laws of projecting bodies by gunpowder. Their explosive power was not good; for there is clear proof, even since the time of Robins, that the purification of the ingredients has nearly doubled the explosive force. The mechanical construction and outer mould of their guns, were calculated to resist and limit the effects of recoil to a great extent.