Page 79 - Loss of the VOC Retourschip Batavia, Western Australia, 1629

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peecc, as you see in the draught: which being well flI~d. you may discharge the same at your pleasure. The string made fast to the end o f the flIc-worke. is to keep lhearrow streight in his passage. being shoteytherwith or against the winde. Morris (1984), iJlUSlrates a similar type ofgun from
the Association and the Eagle, although suggesting that these were 15th-century guns. The Association gun had a bore of34 mm and a length of 720 mm, and was thus slightly smaller in size; but the thiclcness of metal is greater, about 6 mm thick, and the muzzle has a nare similar to the muzzle of a sea-service cannon. Both guns have a screw-thread at the breech and two lugs on the ventral surface for attaching the barrel to the stock. The Eagle gun appears to be more like the Batavia gun, but unfortunately some details are not clear - the barrel is noted as being tapered, 25 mm at the breech and 47 mm at the muzzle, but the illustration in the article appears to show the opposite. Possibly, the breech block may also have confused some of the measurements. The gun has a touch-hole on the body of the gun, not through the breech screw, but how this connects with the chamber is not clear.
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Figure 35.
A 17th century engraving showing a gunner alxlut to discharge a Hr!! arrow from a matchlock.
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