States, a maximum and uniform calibre of cannon has been lately
determined on and adopted. Instead of the variety of length, form,
and calibre still used in other navies, and almost equal to the Great
Michael with her "bassils, mynards, hagters, culverings, flings,
falcons, double dogs, and pestilent serpenters," our ships offer flush
and uniform decks, sheers free from hills, hollows, and excrescences,
and complete, unbroken batteries of thirty-two or forty-two pounders.
Thus has been realized an important desideratum--the greatest possible
power to do execution coupled with the greatest simplification of the
means.

[6] Philadelphia, Carey and Lea, 1832.

But, while we have thus improved upon the hitherto practised means of
naval warfare, we are threatened with a total change. This is by the
introduction of bombs, discharged horizontally, instead of shot from
common cannon. So certain are those who have turned their attention to
this subject that the change must take place, that, in France, they
are already speculating on the means of excluding these destructive
missiles from a ship's sides, by casing them in a cuirass of iron. Nor
are these ideas the mere offspring of idle speculation. Experiments
have been tried on hulks, by bombs projected horizontally, with
terrible effect. If the projectile lodged in a mast, in exploding it
overturned it, with all its yards and rigging; if in the side, the
ports were opened into each other; or, when near the water, an immense
chasm was opened, causing the vessel to sink immediately. If it should
not explode until it fell spent upon deck, besides doing the injury
of an ordinary ball, it would then burst, scattering smoke, fire, and
death, on every side. When this comes to pass, it would seem that
the naval profession would cease to be very desirable. Nevertheless,