[Illustration: A COLUMBIAD.] This is not the case with the weapons that are carried by soldiers; for our rifles and muskets are much smaller than those used by our ancestors. A hundred or two years ago, the great flint-lock muskets and blunderbusses were twice as large as the rifles now used, although they did not carry a ball half the distance, or with any thing like the accuracy of our improved arms. But the cannon that used to be in fashion were but little things compared to those of the present day. You might put one of the old-fashioned cannon into one of our great columbiads and fire it out of it instead of a ball. And while the cannon have been growing larger and larger, the defenses against cannon-shot are growing stronger and stronger. Now our men-of-war are generally what are called “iron-clads.” The hull is covered with immense plates of iron or steel, which it is almost impossible to pierce with the heaviest balls or conical shot. And the forts are so constructed that the great masses of metal that are sometimes hurled against them in time of war seem to have but little effect upon their massive sides. And so the competition between the weapons of offense and the means of defense goes on. As the cannon are made larger, the iron plates on the ships are made thicker and stronger, and the forts are built with walls that are more massive and more thoroughly ball-proof. Which party will succeed in this contest it is impossible to say. If walls and ships could be constructed that would be impervious to the heaviest cannon balls, warfare would probably soon come to an end, for if a nation could have such forts and such ships it would be useless for any other nation to make attacks upon it. And if cannon could be made that would send balls through the sides of any iron-clad, or through the walls of any fortification, war would probably soon cease, for no country could resist a hostile nation thus armed. Therefore it is almost to be hoped that one of these parties—the manufacturers of great cannon or the builders of ships and forts will so far surpass the other that the trials between them in time of war will be considered useless. But it seems very doubtful if a limit to the size and force of cannon, and the strength of iron-clads and forts will soon be found. [Illustration: THE GREAT CANNON OF MALTA.] Although our cannon are so large, we hear stories of guns of the kind that were very large and yet not at all modern. It is said that the Knights of the island of Malta had a tremendous cannon, which, when it was fired off, made everybody, even old gunners stop their ears for fear that they would be deafened by the terrific noise. And the Chinese, who certainly invented gunpowder long before we thought of it, have a tradition that their country once possessed a most enormous cannon. It was constructed of pieces that were fastened together by great bands, like the hoops on our barrels and casks.