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History of the Cannon
"Onesimplequestion,"saidElphinstone:"isourguntoberifled?"
"No,certainlynot,"repliedBarbicane;"werequireanenormousinitialvelocity;andyouarewellawarethatashotquitsarifledgunlessrapidlythanitdoesasmooth-bore."
"True,"rejoinedthemajor.
Thecommitteehereadjournedforafewminutestoteaandsandwiches.
Onthediscussionbeingrenewed,"Gentlemen,"saidBarbicane,"wemustnowtakeintoconsiderationthemetaltobeemployed.Ourcannonmustbepossessedofgreattenacity,greathardness,beinfusiblebyheat,indissoluble,andinoxidablebythecorrosiveactionofacids."
"Thereisnodoubtaboutthat,"repliedthemajor;"andasweshallhavetoemployanimmensequantityofmetal,weshallnotbeatalossforchoice."
"Well,then,"saidMorgan,"Iproposethebestalloyhithertoknown,whichconsistsofonehundredpartsofcopper,twelveoftin,andsixofbrass."
"Iadmit,"repliedthepresident,"thatthiscompositionhasyieldedexcellentresults,butinthepresentcaseitwouldbetooexpensive,andverydifficulttowork.Ithink,then,thatweoughttoadoptamaterialexcellentinitswayandoflowprice,suchascastiron.Whatisyouradvice,major?"
"Iquiteagreewithyou,"repliedElphinstone.
"Infact,"continuedBarbicane,"castironcoststentimeslessthanbronze;itiseasytocast,itrunsreadilyfromthemouldsofsand,itiseasyofmanipulation,itisatonceeconomicalofmoneyandoftime
