The twelve, ten, and eight-inch guns, almost form a class of themselves, known as the “Paixhan Gun.” They are intended for throwing both hollow and solid shot. The larger are the description of ordnance with which we at present arm our steam frigates.
These are unquestionably part of the many doubtful descriptions of artillery which have been adopted of late years, with a view to _fracture_ more than to secure a range of projectile. They are enormous machines, as will be seen on reference to their weights, as given in the following table; and their splintering powers are certainly very extensive indeed. But their range is contemptibly small, if we take into consideration their great weight. The effect of the explosion of the charge of one of these guns must be sensibly felt even by the strongest built steamer in the world. They are used with traversing beds. The gun carriage, when recoiling, in a backward direction, being driven up an inclined railway, with from 3° to 4° of elevation, from the cascable of the gun. This greatly tends to lessen the distance which the gun would be driven back, and facilitates the running out of the piece to the point of discharge. The woodcut gives a representation of the traversing beds; and the following table displays the ranges, &c., of this class of heavy artillery.
RANGE AND ELEVATION, &C., OF 12, 10, AND 8-INCH GUNS, AT POINT BLANK AND EXTREME, AND 10 AND 8-INCH HOWITZERS.
-------------------+---------+--------+---------+------+-------+------ | | | Charge |Point |Extreme|Eleva- Nature of Ordnance.| Length. | Weight.| Powder. |Blank | Range.|tion. | | | |Range.| | -------------------+---------+--------+---------+------+-------+------ |ft. in. |cwt. qr.|lbs. ozs.|yards.|yards. |deg. 12-inch gun, with }| | | | | | hollow shot, }| 8 4 | 90 3 | 12 0 | 240 | 1,550 | 6 weight 112 lbs. }| | | | | | 10-inch, with } | | | | | | ditto, weight 86 } | 7 6 | 57 3 | 7 0 | 210 | 1,500 | 6 lbs. } | | | | | | Ditto | 8 4 | 62 1 | 8 0 | 250 | 1,400 | 5 Ditto | 9 4 | 84 0 | 12 0 | 325 | 1,700 | 5 8-inch gun, with }| | | | | | hollow shot, 48 }| 6 8-1/2| 50 0 | 7 0 | 210 | 1,300 | 5 lbs. }| | | | | | 8-inch ditto, } | | | | | | solid shot, 68 } | 8 6 | 60 0 | 9 7 | 340 | 1,500 | 5 lbs. } | | | | | | Ditto | 9 0 | 65 0 | 10 0 | 300 | 3,250 |15 Ditto, hollow shot | 9 0 | 65 0 | 12 0 | 370 | 2,920 |15 10-inch iron | | | | | | howitzers | 5 0 | 40 0 | 7 0 |2 deg.| 2,078 |12 | | | | 600 | | 8-inch ditto | 4 0 | 21 0 | 4 0 |3 deg.| 1,725 |12 | | | | 730 | | -------------------+---------+--------+---------+------+-------+------