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CURIOUS WAR WEAPONS CnOTKSQlIR MIUTAHY KNfilNESOF Tll£ MIDDLE AUKS. Uadiine (o Hroak Ihe Enomy's Itanksâ€" Dragon tor Attacking Town!). The ingeiiuily o{ man has been taxed I . Itio uliiiost to coiilrive new ntid more (k-iicliy means of killing and w'oiindini; hit fellow iiii'ii, und science Una now Lrini(,'IU our iiiodiTii weapons to such pertoL'tiun lliut it i>ecini> uliiio.sl impos- Ml)le to imagino any advance in their efiectiveness. If we e.\oept the cold steel â€"which .still has ilj> ascs, if we arc to judge by llie rectait war in live Ka.st â€" Uiero are but three classi* of offen- sive weapons; the gun and its projoc- UiAs, the rillc and t4ie mine ur torpedo. In Ihe priiciss of Iheir evolution from the stone und club of our pruliistoric an- cestors an enormous numlier of con- trivances have been iiivenled by the fcr- Ide brains of soldiers, inochanics and sciciitisl.s. .Some of those, such ns the "hand gonne," Kdwaid lll.'s "crakeys of war" â€"the cannon he took ngairusl the Scots â€"and Ih.' engineer (jiannibelli's "devil shii)s of Aiitweri(," may be regarded, writes I,ieul.-Col. C. Field in the .Scien- tific AniiTican, as l)eing the direct an- cestors of Hit; rine, gun and lorpctlo , f to-day. Bui thrre have been hosts --f others, wliicli have either become en- tirely obsolete after a very short reign, have never "caught an," or, in very many ca.scs, have never had any actual existence (jutsido the plans and ideas of their .suMgiilno inventors. Many of llicso warlike appliances, e.sppcittlly those belonging to Uw Mid- dle Ages, are of the most grote.s(jue de- scriiiUon. As at no distant date the niaking of hideous grimaces to strike terror into llio hi'art of an enemy was cullivnied as .. brand) of tlie inihtnry art by the hoojis of the (i;lirstial ICm- p re, so in moilia.'val times the grotesque seems to Iwve been consideral at least as nujcli a desideratum as the practical by Iho inv(!MUjrs of offensive and de- fensive weamins. .So we have such ex- traordinary contrivances a.s a "machine U. bre«k Ihe ranks of an enemy" and OTIIKH DR AGONLIKE EDlKIflES How ihi" liirinerâ€" wliich api>euns to b; a kind of media>val motor carâ€" got over the ground and how it brought its fonnidablo iirray of spikes to bear up- u.i tho.-<e who had Mie hardihood to op- po.s.!*lis profjress, must be left to the imagination. The other maohino is merely a grole-quo e<lition of Ihe mov- able towers Ih it play<'d such an imixirt- ant part in the hiege.s of ancient and medhvMil cites. Ancient warriors had a great pen- chant for naming llu'ir various warlike engine.s and machirie.s after animals, real or inmginary. Thus we have the Human "musciilus," or "little inou.sc, ' H mach ne fur underminin<; the walls (f a NsshgcfJ city; the battering ram, the sow, the scorpion for discharging big arrows from a powerful bow, the on- agiT for hulling stones. The onager, according to tradititm, was an animal that had a pleasant trick of kicking Blonos with great violence at its pur- suers. Again, the Itoman warships were p<|uipp(Nl with a spiked gangway known ns a "corvus," or "crow," which on being let full upon Ihe enemy's ship grai)plc<l her and formed a bridge for boarders. Mediirval .soldiers made frequent use cl tlie "wolf" in the defence of caslles tmd towns. This was a species of huge harrow, miul,' of balks (jf timlxr with w(K)den sf.lki's nt Ihe inlersirlions, which set up oul.';if)e thi' walls could he llirown crown down and forward to crash Ihe besiegers n.s \hfy crowdi^d t<, the as- RBUll. WlH^i ciinnon were invented their nam s became je^'lon. A ship or a train of nrlillery conlaiiied a perfect zwilogical (iinlen of blrd.s, ben.sts and fabulous aiiim.Tls. There were basilisks, drakes, dnignns volant, falcons, ser- [K'nts and pelicans, not to mention "double dog.s' and parliiilg<> iMorlars. We liMve of latt> y.^ar.s s.mmi a /'ood deal in the nrwspn|vrs alioiil Ihe train- ing of dogs for inilitiiry piirpo.s(>s, .such a,s scouting, giving noliie of the ap- proach of an enemy and soanhing for the wounded. Ii^ fi inner diiy.s this in- ttlllgent imiiiml was also employed m warfare, not only as a watch dog. One m«thod of "LETITNG SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR" was to equip them with a pot of blaz- ing re.sin. a collar of spikes and a Jacket ol le;ith''r .scah.'s to protwl their backs from the lire, and send them among cavalry, much to the confusion of the horses. An Amb writer describes some won- derful war dogs which belonged to the Grand .Seignior, which he says were its big as donkeys, were clad in rich clolh. silver collars and neck-rings and a circle ol iron points around the neck. .Some were even clad in armor. They were equal to tackling wolves, dragons in the lire, eagles in Ih' »ir»and crocodiles in the wal(>r; to say nothing of Ixsing able to bring down a man from liorse- back, "however .stoul a fellow ho may tie." Dogs efjuliipeii In much the same manner were also usi>d for incendiary purposes to set vill:igcs on Are, as werj also cats and pigeons. With the advent of artillery and Tire- arms, all kinds of qui-er weapoas were from time to time invented. Many <.f them distinctly foreshadowed our mod- ern repcjiting and rilli'd weapons. Sol a few revolvers, repeaters and rifKsi muskets were made in Uie si.xteenlh and .stiventcenlh centuries, but as the whole affair had to be made by hand their cost precluded any general adop- tion of these ingenious devices. The earliasl cannon were brwch loaders, and like our modern guns were built up ra- ther than cast. Hut even after the 'n- vention of cost iron and brass rannon Ihe smaller pieces were generally nyi le 1 1 luad at the breech. A couple of .lu ;ii weapons mounted in a kind of a cart were used by Henry VTII. against Ihe .Scots, and would appear to have been quite practical lillle atfaii-s. I'hey evi- dently could l>e wheeled like hand bar- rows; Iho sloping shielil would afford excellent protection to tlie pinners and probably contained a receptacle for ammunition. War carls or chariots were not un- usual at this time, espi-cially in Ger- many. They generally look liie form Ol' a rude machine gun, several musket barrels- lieing placed logelher in the cenlrc, and, a great array of curly, mur- deiMius looking sp<'ars and halbrcds ar- rangixl on either side. The Lyoners is a later type without muski< tmrrels and inti'iKhvi tor bl jckiiig a narrow pas- .sage. .'Sometimes a whole sheaf of mus- ket barrels were (ixed upon a stand ' r cai-riage. Thee contrivances were callp<i orgucs, from their resemblance U; the pipes of an organ, or sometimes THUNDEn f:AltRlAGE.S. Monster cannon wore an early form of extravaganza in military weapons. There are several accounts of such pieces of ordance. A traveler once slatod that he had seen at Brunswick a guii or ratlier mortar cast in 1411. It was made of brass, was 10 feet G inches 1 ng ami no las.s than 9 feet 2 inchjs ill diamo'er, and was said lo Ih? capable of throw. ng a 1,000 j>ound shell. India lioa>>tt'd several of Ihesc monslrositios. One still to bo sein at Kubl>eri>ore is said to be no le.ss than ?I f<et 3 inches long and feol C inches around the miiz/.le. It is called Jauii Kushall, or destroyer of life, by the natives, and wa.s probably east sonipwhrre in Persia. AiHilhor India piece, cast by Ghulo- by Kooniy, Khun of Ahmednuggcer, abiiut the year 1;)<I0, has such a tremen- d'lus bore thai the inlerior is now lil- t(<<t up iLs a kind of summer house. A cannon made as Bruges in LlKi had » square liore and llrcd cubical«shot. Guns were made of all kinds of ma- terials, though all such may bo regard- en us freaks or cxjM'riuients. The leather guns Invented by an ollicer in tht! army of CiUslaviLs Adolphus hiul a certain viiguo <iii account of tli.ir lightness. .Some were effectively us<!d against us by Ihe .Scots under Gen. Leslie at the lialtle of Ne.wburn Ford in 1G40. Thoy were made by wrapping rope and Iwine uiound copptiP cylinders strengtfiened by iron rings. Thoy were then coated with plaster, ami finally covered with leather. Ttioy were very portntile, but iinieliable and short lived. Guns hav; be-n made of woud hoo|)cd with iron, not only in ancient limes, but quite 'e- <onlly in Ihe Philipiiinos, where they weie usiHl against the American twojis. The Chiiiost^ had a gun made of bam- boo in U'.W. but only llie other day the Jaii4ine.sc were making effective use of wooden mortal's bound around witli liMinboo for tliruwing explosives into Ihe Uiis.sian works at Ihe siegt^ of Port Arthur. Guns have been made of glass and even of ice. Some of Uie latter, made for saluting purposes at the mar- riage of the KuHslan Prince Gallitzl in 1739, are slated to have been "fired more titan once without bursting." Guns have even been made ol llie precious metals. In 16G3 there was in the ar- senal of Verona "a great gun found in Candia, all of gold and silver.' A GOLDEN CAN.NO.N was captured nt Pekin in 18C0, and King Theiaw of Burma was Ihe pos- sessor of unolher, which was also in- crusled with precious stones. The early caliver was little inferior lo a cannon in clumsiness, as it took three men to carry it and a Jourlh to fire it. When llroarms bixiame somewhat more poriable, and especially when pis- tols were introduced, we find them mounted in Ihi) inoat extraordinary fashions, .shields or targets not infre- quently had a pistol li.xed in the centi-e with a .small grating for aiming through, but tlicre i.s an account of a shield at CWjnoa which had no less than IH) pis- tots connected with it. feather a heavy affair to handle, one would imagine. The ICniperor Ctmrlcs V. had a curious shield which ho carri(Hl when walking nbout a night; "a .spcnr came out of Ihe side of it, beside that in Ihe middk;; if any thrust was made at Ihe shield, Ihe sword's point was calched in it and broken." Another surprising motlimvel contri- vance wns an iron hat or helmet, which is described as having "two crowns, each with four pistols." A volley of eight shots from an opponent's head- piece must have been very disconcert- ing â€" probably to all parlies concerned. A curious morlar in the Tower of Lon- don is square in front and has no less than nine separate bores. The eigh- teenth century was distinctly the epoch of sieges. The attack and defence lT carefully fortified places was carried out contaiaing water, which Interposes be- twea.n Iho bullet and the powder charge in its base. This Is supposed to regu- late the esctpo of Ihe powder gas and .so minimize Ihe report without dimin- ishing the force and velocity with which the projectile leaves the barrel. The great addition which this system would make lo the weight of Ihe ammunition is quile enough to put the weapon out of court for military purposes. methodical and patient ACnaSS CA.NADA IN THREE YEARS. Remarkable Trip Made by an English Lecturer. A walking geography of Canada ar- rived recerilly in Vancouver in Ihe per- son of Mr. H. Haywood, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Sociely of Lon- don, and lecturer, with Canada as his Subject. To ma.Mer his subject Mr. Haywood has travelled from Halifa.x lo the Ter- hiiiiat City by dayli;;hl. the lour hav- ing taken him three years. He has travelled thousands of miles by rail, steamer, and stage, also many hun- dreds of miles on fool, visiting large and small centres, new and old settle- ments, f.irm and mining districts, lum- ber camps, industrial cenlres. placis that would offord him an optKirtunity o' obtaining particulars respecting the resources of Iho country. Mr. Ilaywixid's aim has been to thor- oughly know the country, from Atlan- tic lo Pacific, its means and methods •jf transportation; its |)opulation; its pro- ducts, and general resources; its cities and towns, and what they are noted for, so that he may make u.se of this knowledge during his lecture tours round Ihe world. The views, with which his lectures are to be illustralcd, will show the lieauty spots that are -of note and interest, l>e- siiles street views, cities, parks, rivers, waterfalls, public institutions, and such bcenes as would be an inducement,, lo travelers and tourists generally lo visit. lie also desires to induce travelers from Bombay. Madras. Ceylon, Calcut- ta, Australia, and .New Zealand to fav- or Iho Canadian route in visiting Eng- land, so that they may become acquaint- ed with Canada, its people, and Ihe many picturesque spots that are to lie seen from Vancouver to Halifa.x. Ills lectures will also be given in the United Stales. He will try, while In British Colum- bia, to obtain a perfect coUectkDn of views descriptive of Ihe country, so that outsiders, that is, people in other parts of the world, who may attend his illus- Iraletl lectures, may gain a good idea of British Columbia and its many beauti- ful scenes, with which Ihe whole Prov- Jnce is so richly endowed; its great re- Bcurccs, stores of wealth, and the ad- vantages to be derived by making it the great liighway to Europe. CHRONIC CATARRH NOSE AND THROAT "At Ihe Advut of Fritnds I TrieA Pe-ru-na and Iht RtsuUs Have Betn Highly Salisfaclory." â€" So Writes Mr.\ PiloH. rO<0>44«fr4><fr<9"&^<0>«fr<fr'3><»<fr4><>(»<3>4>4><»i»^ Grippe or Infl'aenza, whichever you like to CEill it, is one of the most weakening diseases known. Scoifs Emulsfon, which is Cod Liver Oil and Hypophosphites in easily di- gested form, is the greatest strength-builder known to medical science. It is so easily digested that it sinks into the system, making new blood and new fat, and strengthening nerves and muscles. Use Scott* jt Emulsion after Influenza. lavaluable for Coughs and Colda, ALL DRUGQI8T8I BOo. AND •t.OO. in Ihe most manner. There were many inventions at thai time es|)ecially applicable lo the attack and defence of fortified towrns. The pelani was much used. It consisted of e. bell shaped iron receptacle filled with powder and clamped down to a block of hard wood. It wius intended to be fixed In doors and gales for the purpose of blowing them in. Another device was the pot a leu or lire pot. which WHS a kind of ball or globular jnr tilled with old Inrrrd rope, which was thrown upon the enemy's works, to light lliem up at night and enable lire to be di- rected upon ttiem. Loaded pistol bar- rels were al Inched lo these to prevent any one from picking Ihem up and ex- tinguishing them. The pistol a reveille could be set to explode a mine at a giv- en hour. But all said and done, we need not dive into the post to find extraordinary ideas und weird warlike appliances. Our modern inventors are quite capable of keeping 114) tile supply. Leaving aside the steani guns, which were intended to spurt out .streams of bullets after the fashion of a Mnxini gun. which were invented by Perkins in I8il. by Winans in the 'COs, and the very similar com- press«d air gun patented by one Stur- geon in I8«7, none of whk;h realized its inventor's expectations, we can find plenty of KXTHAORDINABY CONTRIVANCES The wire bullet proof screeh behind whieh the soldier advancing to the at- tack defies any projectile .'rniallor than e thivii-p<iiinder is as far fetched an idi'a as anything produced in the Mid- dle Ages. The re-son'oir helmel, a French .scheme, is about as quaint as anything wo have notic<yl. The lower part of Ihis eccentric headpiece forms n spoi-ies of tank or res'^rvoir, into whi h tlie water 'and pipe cliiy'.') dniins from Ihe upper surface of the helinot. The soldier's head is therefore kept cool in Ihe tropicsâ€" though llio weight may periinps be rather tryingâ€" and when alhiist all he hius lo do" is lo re- move his lielniot and 1111 his cup from the lap at tlie back. One of the most important qualifica- tions of a g<)od soldier is to be able lo marcti well, but it is doubUiil wliother the wearing of a pair of .spring soled boots, such ns a riHient inventor has siiggtsteil, would add many niilcs to ttio day'.s niiirch. Ttiese "seven league lioids" have an oiilor .sole, which is piv- oted to the one made on the boot just below tlie ball of the foot. A strong spiral spring is litU\l lietween the two a; lli> lieel. To .see a whole regiment chargiiie II piisilion wearing these bixils and liounding over Ihe tjrouiKl like kangaroos or wallnbys, would indeed Lo a rt'iinirkable siglit. Anollier leiiiarkable liiveiilion is a ciuiiion that takes completely to pieces. j II consists of a series of strong steel rings which lit over the inner tiit*\ which is, of course, rille<l internally. F.xteriially it tapers slightly, .so that it is bigger and lhi< ker at the breech end. Tile r.ngs slide down on lliis lube in their proper order, the cfiilml ones having projec!lons to form the trun- nions of Ih,' piece, and nre .screwed liglil up by means o[ four r.uls and iiuls lilting into a mii.s.sive framework at ei- ther end of the gun. The r«'ar one â-  f lliese carries the breech closing mech- anism. Invisibility has been prelly well so- CMi'i'd by Ihe invention of siimkeless powder iind now inventors nre trying soundless exp!()^o:i into the liar- gain. This was (ffected in ancioni days, aicording to nn Arab writer, l>y the "powder which expkidcs witltout .sound," made ol l-".l Meidaun, lo do away with the noise of lli.i explo- thc ashes of human bones taking Ihe pl(ir« ol eliarconl. Ttie making of this proiKillciil is iKiw, al any rule, a last url, but IIh' same object is lo a certain extent nllained in other ways. Col. Ill iMlert of tlie Frencti army has invenleil a spwies of tlllh» whicll, airixed lo Ihe miizzio of M Held pieci>, prevents either llusli or sound, whiK' a rille in- 1 It's as easv lo annoy grown folks ts vented In America has a big cartridge! it is dillicult lo amuse u baby. DAILY FA1>IN(; AWAY. The Slory of a Wonian Made Well by Dr. Williams' Pink Pills. Bad blood means bad health.' That is wtiy Dr. Williams' Pink Pills mean good health. They actually make new, rich blood which strengthens every nerve and every organ in the body. That is why people who use Ur. V\il!iams' Pink Pills feel brigtit, active and strong. Mrs. .\rthur Hannigan, .Mai-shville, Ont., is a witness lo the truth of these statements. .Mrs. Hanni- gan says:â€" "For nearly throe years I suffered from anaemia (bloo<llessness) and during that lime consulted and IcKik medicine from several doctors, without benelicinl results. ,My complex- ion was of a waxy appearance, my lips end. glims seemed bloodless. I suffer- ei' from headaches, dizziness and pal- pitation of the heart. My api)elitewas mi poor that I did not cure whether I ate or not and I grew so weak, and was .so much reiluced in llesh ttiat my friends tliought I was in consumption. As I have said, I d<ictored witliout bene- lit, until the last doctor whom I con- sulted advised me to try Dr. Williams' Pink PilLs. I followed his advice, and less tliun a dozen boxes have made me Ihe well woman I am to-day. All Iho symploiiis of my troubles tiavo vanish- ed and 1 enjoy the very best of health. I know tliere are hundreds of women who are drifting into the same condi- tion I was, and to all such 1 would strongly urge the inimediato use of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills." Dr. Williams' Pink Pills do not act upon the tKJwels; thoy do not tinker with mere symptoms; thoy go right to the root of the trouble in the blood. Ttial is why lliey cure common ail- ments like rheumalism, neuralgia, kid- ney trouble, headaclies and backaehj's. St. \'ilus dunce, and tlio special ail- n.i'iits that nfllicl so many women and growing girls. .Sold by all medicine dealers or by mail at 50c. a box or six boxes lor .*2.50 from The Dr. Williams" Medicine Co., Brockville, On' Mn. RAOLL PILON, 116 Bue Nolro Dame. Lachine, P.Q., Can., writes: "I write you a few words to express to you my .satisfaction al l)eing cured. I wa.s afflicted with calarrfa ol (he (broal and nose and s-uUered much. 1 was greatly discouraged. 1 had a bad breath and bad taste in my mouth in the morn- ing. "I took trealmcnt for some time with- out obtaining relioL Al the advice of friends 1 tried Peruna and the results have been highly satisfactory. At Uie end ol lour months I was completely cured." Neglected calarrlj becomes chronic. Having deveto|ied into the chronic stage, a longer and more persislent treatment will be require* lo cure it tlian if the dis- ease were treated at the onset. However, Peruna will bring relief, whether Ihe catarrh is acute or chronic. If you are wise you will keep Peruna on hand and take a few doses at the first appearance of a cold or cough, and thus save yourself bolh suffering and ex- pense. Palienls have the privilege of writing to Dr. Hartman for free advice. A book o.i "Chronic Catarrh" will be sent upon request. Ask Vour Druggist lor Fre« Peruna Almanac lor 1907. CAUGHT HI.M.. Pivo young men went into a .shop the oilier day to buy 11 liut each. .Seeing tlioy were in a joking n:ood. the ,slu)|iiiian .said, ".\re you married.'" They eiuli said, "Yes." "Ttion I'll give a hat to Ihe one who can Irulhtully say he has not kissed any other wnn.an but his own wife since he was married.'' "Hand over u hat," sold one of llie parly. "I've won it.'" "When were you married?" "Ves'entay. ' was the reply, and Ihe hat was tiaiideil over. f^iie of the olhers wns laughing I.eailily whilst telling his wife Ihe joke, but suddenly pulled up when .she said:â€" "I say, John, hc.v was it you didn't bring, one'/" THE SHABBY GREAT. Eminent Nobleman Shnffles Down Re> gent Street in Raggy .\p|uirel. It ts one of- the privileges of being great that one can affoixl lo have sam- ples of by-gone repasts on one's waist- coat, writes MiB. John Lane in an article on "Tlie Tyranny of Clotties," in the January Fortniglilly. The Englishman, she says, is nol only the apotheosis of the perfectly dressed, but he can reach a degi-ec of shabbiness which is phenomenal. .Not the poor and olvscure, but the rich and usually the great. W'lio has nol seen Ihe great shabby and spotty to a degree? "Before 1 had loained by experience, ' remember tx;ing inli-oducrti to tlie shabbiest, spottiest kind of old genllenwn in Regent .Slivel, who was shuflling along in company of an aged, greeny- brown umbrella. He looked as if a shilling charitably bestowed would have been a godsend. I look a hasty inven- tory of tiis spots, his draggled necktie, his frayed waistbamis, his down-troddon bLHits, and felt ralher superior. "It wius, therefore, with a start thai I hcord a very faiiKius name indeed, and found myself shaking the limp luuid of a very eminent nobleman. He saw that I was deeply iinpre.s,siH|. tmt distin- guishiHl tlMiugh he wiis. he could nol guess the real reason. 1 watched him shullling down Hegent -Slroi't the thread- bare seams of his coal boastfully out- lining his l>ent back, and it stnick ma that tic looked iiwdcstly triumphant as ho climtied the bus Itiat passes the palace in which he lives. 'If over a ma.i was tyrannized over by a mean umbrella, n threadbare coal, and frayed trousersâ€" Ihe kind tlwl hitch up beliindâ€" that was the man." WHEBKIN THEY DII'IT-B. ' f^haractor," romarked th- thoughtfit* thinker, "is one tiling and r.'pulalion i.s quile another." "Wlierei:i do Ihey differ?" queried th« xery young man. ".\ good cliaracter is a luxury." ox- plained the T. T., "but a good reputa- . tion is a necessity." ADNICF, TO MOTHKB.S. If you have a baby or young children i'l Ihe homo alwavs keep a box ct Baby's Own Tablets on hand. Don't wail until llio ' lillle one is sick, tor sometimes an hour's delay may prove fatal. Tills iiiedicino ciires sloniach troubles, constipalion diarrhoea, simple fevers and makes te»4hing painless. If' children are sick Baby's Own Tablets, make them well; and U>tter still an oc-i casional dose will ke<>p them well. Fhe Tablets are good for children of all, iiges and are guaranteed to contain vo. cpiale or harmful drug. Mi's Joseph' Boss, Hawthorne, Ont., says:â€" "I have ii.s»d Babv's Own lablets and ftndi Ihem just The thing lo keep chiWreti' well." The.se Tablets are sold by all' iiiedxine dealers or you can gel l»>eni by niiiil al ier>c a box by writing The, l>'.'. Williams' Medicine Co., Brockvlllo,- Onl,