The Cavalli Cannon At The Florence Exhibition

The Cavalli Cannon at the first Italian National Exhibition, Florence, 1861. 'The great object sought to be attained by the employment of breech-loading cannon is...the suppression of the recoil usually attending the discharge of an ordinary piece of artillery...The Cavalli cannon in our Engraving is a 32-pounder...The form of the stand and the peculiar disposition of the platform are combined in such a manner as to prevent the recoil and keep the cannon always en batterie. A. is the piece of white metal which serves to close the breech after the conical projectile (B) has been introduced into the cannon. The weight of this hollow projectile, including the charge, is sixty-four pounds. When the stand...is placed on a horizontal platform the piece may be pointed to an elevation of fifteen degrees...The instruments of precision for pointing the cannon and for supporting the breech in the requisite position are also shown...They are in brass, and very highly finished. The full range of the Cavalli cannon is considerably over 4000 yards; but at that distance its fire is most effective, as has been frequently proved by the experiments made with it under the regime of the Sardinian Government'. From "Illustrated London News", 1861. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)