Band 
Volume the sixth.
Seite
543
JPEG-Download
 

Portia’s travels in Sweden .

543

meet it: the arms are of iron and the borer of flee). The borers are of feven differentfizes; each inftrument has four, the lafl only fix, and one which traverfes st the end inorder to polifh the interior of the cannon. The depreffion of the piece is after the rateof more than an inch a minute; there are twenty-one minutes of interval between theoperation of one borer and another. When requifite to raife the piece, in order towithdraw the borer, two men and one apprentice turn the wheel which raifes it in fiveminutes ; it takes four to let it down again. In cafe of necefiity a twenty four poundermay be bored in feventeen hours, viz. feven hours for the firfl boring and ten for thefecond, for which the workmen are payed two plottes: thefe two works cannot alwavsbe done at once on account of their being afted upon by the fame head of water, whichis not conftantly fufficient to work the two hydraulic engines. It takes two hours todrill the touch-hole, which is done by a bow, the drills are of iron of different fizes butequal length : on thefe three lafl operations only three workmen are employed; all thatremains of the cannon, confifling of rough iron, is fent- to different other forges, ofMr. Vahrendorf, at which it is made into bars. There are fcarcely thirty men em-ployed at the cannon foundry : the workmen earn but little; they have, however, asis the cafe at all the foundries, their grain afforded them at half price, and may receiveat pleafure their wages either in provifion or money.

The water proceeds from a lake of fufficient elevation, fince there is a fall of forty-eight ells to the great wheels ; thefe wheels work all together five machines : i. a faw-mill (near the lake); 2. that which blows the bellows ; 3. that which is ufed for cut-ting of the heads of the cannon ; and 4. and 5. the two machines which bore the can-non. The manufactory is difcontinued in December, and re-commences in March.

From four thoufand three hundred to four thoufand four hundred fchippunds ismade into cannon annually. The greater part goes to Holland, Naples, and Portugal ;to the latter country chiefly thirty-fix pounders. They are proved in the prefence of anartillery officer belonging to the King, who marks them at the mouth with the arms ofSweden '(thofe of the powers for whom they are defigned are engraven on the breech),and likewife with a bomb if he belong to the army, or if to the navy with an anchor.A certificate from the officer is abfolutely neceffary before the pieces can pafs the cuf-toms and be fhipped. Twelve pounders are proved with from ten to eleven pounds ofpowder, firfl with one ball, afterwards with two ; the cannon of other caliber in pro-portion. Their coft, with all expences paid, in board, is 7^ crowns of Hamburg banco,(equal to from 51 to 54 fchillings). Portugal pays more on account of its taking credit.Ball is fold at 54 crowns: very little is made at Oker on account of the great quantityof ore required for the other works. Mortars are dearer than cannon, by from 3to 4 crowns, owing to their frequently burfling on trial, which occafions lofs. Bombscofl fomewhat more than cannon, and fhould coft lefs, as they occafion fcarcely anywafte. All Swedifh ball weighs much more than the flipulation, nearly one fifth part.The ball for Naples and Portugal is 5! inches in diameter, and the thicknefs of the gunat the mouth is three inches nine lines. Dutch weight is a little yet but a trifle greaterthan that of Sweden . The calibre of the Swedifh forty-eight pounder is feven inchesone line and a half; that of the thirty-fix pounder fix inchhs and a half; of the twenty-four pounder five inches eight lines ; the eighteen pounder five inches one line ; thetwelve, four inches four lines and a half; the fix, three inches feven lines and a half;the brafs fix pounders weigh five fchippunds, thirteen lifpunds, eight marks ; the longtwelve pounders eleven fchippunds, three lifpunds; the twenty-four, twenty-four fchip-punds, thirteen lifpunds, thirteen marks: the mark of the foundry flamped on one ofthe arms. The {hip cannon are from fixteen to feventeen calibers in depth : (they are

t8 found