Ancient Breech-Loading Gun Found In British Guiana

Ancient breech-loading gun found in British Guiana, 1870. 'The object shown in our Engraving is perhaps a relic of the Dutch expedition to Guiana in 1580. It was found twenty years ago, by the Macusi Indians, at the mouth of the Annai creek, on the Rupununi river, whence it was brought last year to Georgetown by Mr. Charles Brown, who had visited the place in his geological survey of the British Colonial territory. It is a breech-loading gun, which has burst; and a small portion of its upper part, at the junction of the breech-chamber with the barrel, has been blown away. The chamber is 2? in. in diameter, and the barrel 1¾ in. There is a rectangular aperture in the side of the chamber, close to the back of the gun, where a wedge was perhaps driven in, to force up the breech-block against the charge. The handle, which is of iron, as is the pivot also, the rest being of gun-metal, passes quite through the back of the breech. There is no inscription of the date; but on the top, near the trunnions, are four raised letters, G. W. C., combined in a sort of cipher, and a large Z above them. The Z may stand for Zealand, from which the expedition came. Its first settlement, near the Pomeroon River, was called New Zealand'. From "Illustrated London News", 1870. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)