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Tous las autras exemplaires originaux sont filmAs an commanpant par la pramlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le ces: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de rAduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, II est fllmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'Images nAcessaire. Les diagrammas suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I . 2 iiS?^ QUEBEC GARRISON CLUB LECTURES GIVEN AT THE QUEBEC GARRISON CLUB jSN 1888-g^ t ^Wi >i mM mm ^n?^ :m. ^-Miy QUEBEC GARRISON CLUB LECTURES I ; I GIVEN AT THE QUEBEC GARRISON CLUB 4 I <— I 1888-9 ^ff -T^ Quebec, i^^ January, 1889. QUEBEC GARRISON CLUB ESTABLISHED 1 I»h SEPTEMBER, 1 8 79 PATRON His Excellency, Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada. HONORARY MEMBERS His Honor the Honble A. R. Angers, Lt-Governor of the Province of Quebec. Hon. Sir A. P. Caron, Minister of Militia. Major General Sir Fred. Middleton, Commanding Mili- tia of Canada. Colonel Walker Powell, Adjt. General. - PRESIDENT Lieut-Colonel T. J. DucHESNAY, D. A. G., Commanding 7th Military District. _4-- VICE-PRKSIDENT Lt-Colonel J. Bell Forsyth, Commandincj " Queen's Own Caneleront sans doute avec quels avantages ce grand militaire se servit de son artillerie de campagne armee de pieces tres legeres en cuivre recouvert de plusieurs epaisseurs de cuir et de corde de chanvre fortement enroulee, pour leur donner plus de solidite sans les alourdir. On se represente presque,. n'est ce pas,les canons de bois de nos vaillants de 37 et 38. Cette idee du Souverain Suedois semble avoir ete re- prise, a deux siecles d'intervalle, par le capitaine Schultz de I'armee fran^aise. Celui-ci substitue cependant avec avantage aux couches de cuir et de corde enroulees autour d'un tube interne, un materiel plus resistant, consistant en spirales de fil d'acier enroule avec une tension sufiisante sur un tube interne d'acier, qui forme noyau et sur ces couches de fil d'acier ainsi superposees, s'applique une frette glissde k chaud et qui par son retrait,en refroidissant, se lie intimement k tout I'appareil qu'elle maintient dans — 15 — un etat de solidite remarquable. Cette frette porte en mome temps les tourillons qui servent k fixer la pi^ce sur son affui:. Seulement, il se pr^scntait une difficulte dans le systeme Schultz, qui semblait devoir le faire rejeter tout a fait. Le canon Schultz resistait parfaitement aux tensions disruptives lateraies, mais quoiqu'on cut eu recours, pour resistor aux pressions dans la direction de la culasse, a I'emploi de fortes tiges en acier boulonn^es k deux frettes solidement fixees, Tune a hauteur des tourrillons et Tautre k la culasse, la pieces succomba des la premiere epreuve qui s'en fit a Gavre en 1883. Presque en meme temps Sir William Armstrong cons- truisait, en suivant le meme systeme, une piece d'un cali- bre de 10 pouces J^, mais aux couches de fil d'acier en- roulees tran»versalement a la piece, il ajoutait plusieurs autres couches longitudinales agraffees dans des manchons ou frettes fixees au tube interne et, pour ces fils, il adoptait divers modes d'agraffes qu'un regard sur la figure fera facilement comprendre. Le fil dont Armstrong se sert n'est pas rond ; il afifecte la forme trapezoide. La charge de cette piece est de 220 livres de poudre le projectile pese 404 livres, la vitesse initiale est de 21 60 pieds a la seconde et la pression a Tinterieur est de 17 tonnes au pouce carre. Cette question pleine d'actualite, savoir : reduirele poids des pieces au minimum tout en augmentant au maximum leur resistance au choc d'explosion, s'est transportee en Amerique. On s'occupe de construire pour le departement de la marine des Etats-Unis une piece dont voici la description : elle est d'un calibre de 6 pouces et consiste en un tube interne de 15 pieds de longueur, d'une frette, ditejack£f de 7 pieds 3 pouces et d'enveloppes consolidantes en fil d'acier enroul^es a peu pres dans les memes conditions que ses prototypes Fran9ais et Anglais. On a prepare des devis pour construire une piece de 8 pouces d'apres le meme systeme, destinee elle aussi au Departement de la marine des Etats-Unis. Le poids de cette piece serait de 26,500 lbs tandis que la meme piece en acier avec frettes solides aurait pes^ 27,500 lbs, soit 1,000 lbs de plus. Malheureusement ce mode de construction qui exige un outillage comparativement peu compliqu^, dont les pro- - 1 i ■~ .4" — Iff — duits semblent offrir dcs garanties de solidite tout h fait sufHsante, est encore dans la periode experimentale et on. ne peut prevoir quand il en sortira. Tout depend du perfectionnement qu'on pourrtf^ffectuer dans les machine.-i qui servent a enrouler ks fils nietalliques sur la piece. Lk sc pre.sente une difficulte qui n'apu encore etresurmontee, Obtenir des eflfets mecaniques considerables avcc des pieces relativement l^g^res ; tel est le probl^me a resoudre ^ I'heure qu'il est. D'aucuns croient entrevoir la solution en employant des explosifs violents pour ciiarger les projectiles de calibre restreint qui produiraient ainsi les memes resultats que des obus d'un calibre plus puissant, lances k grande vitesse, par des pieces de dimension et d'un poids en rapport avec le projectile dont el les sont pourvus. L'invention de la dynamite par Nobel, et presque en meme temps la ddcouverte tlu pyroxile ou fulmi-coton ou coton-poudre, c'est tout un, avaient ouVert des horison.s inconnus jusque la dans le domaine des substances explo- sives. La poudre h canon avait dii seule auparavant, four- nir ces forces formidable que reclamait Tart mil'taire et Tindustrie. Aussi la dynamite Nobel etait-elle a peine connue, qu'on cherchait d^jaf a Tappliquer au chargement des obus. Dans tous les pays du monde on chercha ainsi •I adapter les grands explosifs aux besoins de rartillerie. Les premiers essais en France, furent faits pendant la guerre de 1870. Les experiences des officiers d'artillerie au polygone de Vincennes et k Saint-Ouen, demontrerent que Ton pouvait obtenir des effets considerables en char- geant les bombes et les obus avec un poids de dynamite ^gal au tiers et meme au quart de la charge de poudre noire reglementaire. D'une part le fractionnement de I'obus etait beaucoup plus grand, Teffet de disruption dans un corps quelconque qu'il p^netrait, beaucoup plus considerable et enfin etant moins chargd le projectile pou- vait comporter des dimensions reduites. On entrevoyait done ainsi la possibilite de faire usage de canons de petit calibre tout en obtenant de plus grands eflfets. Des experiences analogues etaient conduite en Su^de, en 1 87 1, avec beaucoup de soin et de methode ; on fesait usage de canons Krupp de trois pouces, I'obus contenait -~ 17 — ^ de livre de dynamite ct la pi«ice recevait d'abord une charge reduite que Ton porta peu a peu h la charge nor- male. qui, malheureusement, produisit I'eclatement pr^ma- tur^ de Tobus et la destruction complete de la pi^ce. La dynamite n'avait pu, sans eclat, supporter le choc produit par I'explosion de la charge r^lementaire de la pi^ce. On repfit cependanl Ics exp^riences,en reduisant le poids de la dynamite k yi de livre et cette charge fut renfcrmee dans un tube en cuivre, introduit dans I'obus qu'ensuite on emplissait d'eau ; on cherchait ainsi a ^viter reffefc dd a Techauflcment subit de la piece ainsi que le choc direct resultant de Tinflammation de la poudre dans la piece. Enfin, pendant ces dernieres annees, des essais ont ete faits aux Ktats-Unis par monsieur Snyder et le general Kelton. II avait etc bien reconnu, des les pre- mieres experiences, dont nous venons de parler, que pour pouvoir utiliser la dynamite dans les obus d'artillerie, il fallait que I'explosion de la charge propulsive de la bouche k feu, produisit un choc modere, qu'autrement la dyna- mite de i'obus fesait explosion dans la piece meme, C'est cet effet peu desirable que Messieurs Snyder et Kelton voulurent prevenir en interposant des coussins de disposition speciale, destines a absorber et amortir le choc entre la charge de la piece et I'obus a dynamite. Les essais furent asscz satisfaisants. Pendant les derniers moisde 1884, d'autres experiences furenl faites, aux environs de Washington, avec des obus charges de gelatine explosive. Un canon de 1 5 centimetres,, environ 6 pouces, se chargeant par la culasse, lan^ait de obus contenant 13 lbs et ^ d'explosifs. Pour amortir les choc initial on avait adopts le dispositif suivant : I'obus penetrait a moitie, dans un cylindre ales^ en acier qui s'ajustait dans I'ame du canon, dans ce cylindre, ^taient serrees, formant coussin derriere I'obus, quatre bandes en caoutchouc, celles ci separees les une des autres par de minces rondelles d'acier qui egalisaient la compression entre toutes les bandes. Le premier coup tire, fut dirige siir une cible, que I'eclatement du projectile reduisit en miettes et on tira ensuite sur une grand rocher k mille verges, I'obus fit 3 -16- explosfon en brisant la roche dans in rayon dc pr^s de 30 pieds produisant unc enorme quantit^ de ddblais ; un second obus atteignant le centre nifiine du rocher y fit une ouverture de 23 pied* de diam^tre et 6 pieds j^ de profondeur. En r^sumd toutes les experiences faites jusqu'k ce jour, d^montrent, qu'en fesant usage d'obus charges k la dynamite, ou autres grands explosifs, on peut obtenir avec des canons de petit calibre, des rdsultats plus considerables encore que ceux donnes par la poudre et le^ plus puissantes pieces dont dispose actuellement Tartillerie. Mais I'etablissement d'un projectile a dynamite est un probl^me d'une solution difficile et si on a pu reussir h lancer avec des bouches a feu d'un calibre relativement restreint, des obus a dynamite dont I'effet a et^ comparativement tres grand on n'a pas encore pu cependant parvenir h s'assurer I'emploi de gros projectiles charges de 40 a 50 livres d'explosifs, et c'est pour realiscr ce type que Zalinski; de I'armee Americaine, a invente son fameux canon pneumatique, qui a caus^ tant d'^moi il y a quelques niois. Je terminerai messieurs en soumettant k votre examen, quelques uns des grands explosifs dont nous venons d'en- trevoir quel parti on peut tirer dans les guerres de I'avenir et aussi en disant quelques mots de leur nature et de leur emploi. La nitroglycerine qui sert de base a un grand nombre d'explosifs plus ou moins puissants, a et^ decouverte par le chimiste Italien Sobrero, dans le laboratoire du cel^bre Pelouze h Paris. L'ingenieur suedois Nobel qui vient de mourir a Cannes, r^ussit h la preparer en grande quantite par un proc^de rapidc et a la fois peu dangereux, mais k hi suite d'accidents graves survenus dans le transport et dans sa mise en usage, Nobel fut amene a I'utiliser sous forme de dynamite, c'est a dire en la fesant absorber par une matiere poreuse inerte. La glycerine pure est un liquide huileux d'un jaune claire, presque incolore. Elle est sans odeur mais d'une saveur brulante et possede, meme k petites doses, des proprietes ven^neuses tres marques aussi les ouvriers charges de la preparer souffrent-ils, surtout en commen- — 19 — ^ant leur metier de maux det^te etd'accablement gs Li .^i- department : for, every article of wearing apparel wriicji u- made out of the seal or walrus-hide, has to be patiently chewed in the mouth, to bring it to the condition required to receive the stitches ; as a piece of such a hide, is about as unmanageable, before undergoing this process, as a piece of sheetiron would be, — not if either were to be operated upon by a cold-chisel, but as far as the effects on it of a needle are concerned. And I assure my audience that they can have but a faint iidea of the amount of chewing which is required to keep even the smallest Eskimo family in boots, to say nothing of the remaining articles of attire. Even when the boot is made, it gets hardened with use, so that in xvearing they are constantly subjected to this re-juvenating process. If you are paying them a visit, and they wish to shew you the highest form of civility, the father will say, " Ung-ar- low ", (one of the children) remove this gentleman's boots, and give them to your mother to chew ", and there, whilst you are about your business, will this patient being sit, taking a disjointed part in your conversation, at such moments as her occupation will permit. I have described their kyacks dr water vehicles ; let rae describe their "kom-mit-ticks" or winter sleighs. They are made with "runners", of about lO to 12 feet long, secured by -43-- cross-pieces securely lashed to them, made out of drift- wood, or the wreck of some unfortunate vessel ; they are shod with bone, just in the same way that our sleighs are with iron : this bone shoeing, when they are travelling, is covered with a film of ice, by squirting water over it, and smoothing the surface rapidly with the hands, whilst in the act of freezing, so as to ensure an even surface. You would be astonished at the length of time that this ice-cover- ing will last : once in a days march being generally sufficient to renew it, which they do from water that they carry with them in a bag made of seal-skin, which has been wrapped away amongst a heap of furs to heep it from freezing. Into this sleigh are harnessed from ten to possi- bly fourteen dogs, each attached to a separate line of white- poi poise hide ; the leader on the longest line, and the rest in pairs, one on either side of the leaders line, and the pairs one behind the other on lines of the necessary length. This is the theoretical arrangement, and to some extent the arrangement on starting ; once started, the dogs arrange themselves in a fan-shaped way, and cross from one side to the other either to change the direction of the hauling strain, or out of sheer perversity. The whole is controlled by the Eskimo's voice, and, a perhaps more .effective whip, which has a handle of eighteen inches in length, and a lash of eighteen or twenty feet. An Eskimo wields this weapon with unerring precision and effect ; a white-man with even greater effect but with much less precision, because his endeavor seems to be put forth in directions which are as unexpected to his audience as they certainly are to himself ; and like the lightening rarely, if ever, strike twice in the same place. As the dogs proceed on the way, every thing they pass which might have the appearance of being eatable, is investigated by a rush of inspection from one of them, who swings out from the pack on his line, reaches it if it is within the limits of its length, investigates, and returns if it should prove a disappointment, without having stopped the march. » If it should prove something eatable, the rest of the pack are upon him in an instant, and a struggle ensues, which — yes, beggars description. You can imagine the 'I ' . I ^y -44 — effect of some twelve dogs propably fighting for the only morsel they are likely to have eaten for the past two or three days ; then add to this the several twelve strings, the howling Eskimo and the twenty foot whip, and I believe you will have a very fair idea of the picture I would present. When the dogs are following along a path which they have already been over, no guide is necessary : but when the road is an unknown one, each of the party including the women take turns in running ahead of the dogs to show the way. The dogs follow the easiest way for themselves after the human leader, whilst one of the Eskimos who remains on the front of the kommittick, guides it, by thrusting the kommittick to one side with his foot so as to avoid -any lump of ice, or protruding rock, that would destroy the ice-film of the runners. You will understand, from the way that the dogs are attached to the kommittick, that on going down hill, the realization of the hope you have, that you will get safely to the bottom, will depend on several conditions which are not all in your, or the Eskimo's control. First, the dogs must be able to reach the bottom before the kommittick does ; should it overtake them, they will be scattered in every direction, than dragged by their lines in every conceivable position, till the sleigh is either overturned or brought to rest, generally the former. Then, it is a much more difficult thing to steer a twelve foot sleigh such as this, than it would be to guide the movements of one of less length, particularly when rushing at the speeds that they attaiYi ; it therefore quite often happens, thiat the dogs rush down the hill in the required direction, whilst the kommittick rushes in a slightly different one, so making their attempts to escape only temporarily successful, for shortly the divergence is so great, that, first a strain is put upon their lines by the increasing distance between them, then the kommittick passes them, turning them so that they face up the hill for an instant ; then they are upset and dragged ; then the kommittick is upset, ^nd its contents, human and otherwise find a resting place some little dis- tance further on than the bottom of the hill. The Eskimos do not seem to mind these experiences, principally — 45 — because of the safety afforded them by their innumerable articles of fur-clothing. I used to pretend not to mind it, principally because the Eskimo, havincj a high sense of humor, I was afraid of increasing their desire to witness the operation of my flight, in more than the unavoidable occasions. The Eskimo uses his gun as little as possible, because of the extravagant cost of its charge. Wherever possible he use his spear. In winter-time, when the deeper bays are frozen over, he has an opportunity of doing so : for then the seal feeding within its waters, has to keep certain holes open in the surface of the ice, to serve the purpose of breathing ; and alongside these, the patient Eskimo will watch all day, without a move, awaiting the seal's necessity and his own opportunity. If the seals have not made holes for this purpose the Eskimo will make them for him, and trust to their being convenient to the seals purpose and his own. He generally finds that the seals have one or two in use in each of these large bays spoken of; but it shortly happens that the seals, missing their companions through this means of exit from the watery world, become too timid to use so apparent a. trap, and seek either the outside waters, or some other bay. The Eskimo then goes in search of a position where the seals are likely to have to pass quite frequently, and where, being passengers, the abstraction of one of their number will not raise alarm amongst the others, who will be coming later. He therefore chooses some strait between an island and the main-land, of considerable length so that the passing seals will find the hole he has cut in the surface of the ice, sufficient of a convenice, to permit of his running the risk in any attempt at appearing out of his element This hole is cut by the Eskimo, by means of a spike which he has on the end of his spear. Having made it, he throws a slight covering of snow over the surface of the water within, to prevent the seal catch- ing a glimpse of him before he has come within spearing- distance. Then crouching about armslength away from the hole, he waits, without a move (which may be made at the very instant when a seal is approaching and so give a warning which would lose him his game,) till he hears the scratching of the seals flippers as he works his way up p through the icq to breathe or sun himself; then the swiftly descending and uncrrin^^ blow. I have never seen this blow actually given : I haVc kept company with him in his watching till intense excitement gave place to freezing indifference, and I had to leave ; I have watched him from the shore, where this indifference was counteracted by accasional excursions for warmth, but have always returned to find apparently the same undiminished patient expectancy. The seal, in winter-tirtie, lives in the snows on the shores just above high-water mark ; into this house, a hollowed out cavity, he comes at or about the time of high-water, the tide having by its increase, raised the ice so that the seal's passage beneath is possible ; he can therefore enter or go out during the few hours that cover the period of high-water ; between these conditions of the water, he must .either stay within or without. An Eskimo, with a dog suitably trained, will follow along the shores, at suitable times, till he comes to the locality of one of these houses, the position of which is indicated by the dog's instinct ; then the Eskimo spears, knowing that the seal cannot escape, till he has been successful in his aim. I have shewn how economical the Eskimo is in the use of his powder and ball : so is he with his gun-caps. It is true that a gun-cap can be used but once as a whole -^ but then the Eskimo uses it in part several times, by dividing the fulminating powder within it into three or four pieces : one of which, at a time, he uses by placing it within the head of an already used cap. So with his matches, he divides most of chem in two lengthwise, by very carefully cutting through the composition at the .iend, with his knife, an operation that would puzzle the ordinary individual. Of their ceremonies and religious beliefs, they are very reticent about speaking to any one, having probably in recollection the want of sympathy shewn by the rough sailor for the subject ; and, not caring to risk a repetition, we could get very little information out of them. They believe in a future existence, with plenty as the rewardj, and bury with the deceased his knife, and, once upon iVsp^- 47-- a time, his gun. Today, they no longer supply hirti with his gun, as the experience has been, that it is not reserved for his future use, as the modern skeptic amongst the Eskimos, probably reasoning that if game is a.T plentiful as represented, there would be no use for the article, takes it to himself. They bury nothing with their womenkind, arguing that some happy hunter will look after their welfare in the happy hunting ground. They have the very highest respect for the white-man's medcr cines, but depend entirely on incantations for their own treatment in emergencies. When one of my party was laid up with scurvy, being anxious to see their treatment, we called in one of the leaders in the art ; who, after assuring us that the subject was under the influence of the wicked spells of an opposition doctor, said that, with proper precautions he would be brought around ; this was very interesting information to me, as I was the patient. I will not give you a further description of the modus operandi^ of this enchantress, (the learned professions, or profession, being filled by those of the less stern sex), than by saying that they consisted of a series of grotes- que movements and incantations, in which a somewhat oiuinerous chorus took part to the solo of the doctress. At different stages in the proceedings, one was asked it we felt better ? In answer to which, the only assurance that •could with truth be given, was ; that we felt no worse. Then the suggestion was made that we should double the chorus and the doctors, a proceeding that we did not agree to, as, having seen all of the operations which were neces- sary for our information, we did not see the object of it. The enmity of this opposition doctress was earned in the most simple way : her name had been, Ick-tu-ad-de-lo, ■" The prophetess ", and we thought we were shewing our appreciation of the changes to which the language might "be put, by altering it to, Ictu-we-awee-ah, "The wooden- man " ; an attempt at a pun, which seemed to be fully appreciated by her fellows, and lost on herself. They protect themselves from infectious disease, and other ills, by sewing one or more strips of sealskin about their outer garment, somewhat in the form of a maze ; so that the spirit of the ill, approaching by way of this outer garment, and TT [ -: 48 — following along these strips, may get lost before he carr enter the body. Then they eat certain portions of the body of the seal, walrus and reindeer, as cures for certain lesser ills, and bind the body into all sorts of positions, with thongs of raW'hide, for pains and aches. The Eskimo have a large amount of admiration to bestow on the white-man and his ways : they are the most satis- factory audience I ever had to exhibit conjuring tricks before, showing the moust hearty appreciation for one* feeblest endeavors. But of all things which pleased them, wtre writing and telegraphy. Write a meesage to one of your men, at a distance from your house, give it to an Eskimo explaining to him what the import of the message is, and that it will be understood from those few insignificant look- ing lines, and he is lost in astonishment and admiration for the art. Tell him that you will by a series of rappings, in accordance with the system of telegraphy, give any message he may dictate to youy to your man, at the other end of the room, which he feels is being delivered in his own tongue as he has giving it, and you have him in a conditioa capable of believing the impossible. I do not think that there was any thing which gave them more constant pleasure than the flying of a kite, which I made for them. Had I so wished it, I might have considered the privilege of being allowed to fly this kite, sufficient reward for any service, and met with no complaint from them. They never seemed to tire of watching its graceful movement ; and when, sometimes, we used to put it a little out of adjustment, so that in its flight it would occasionally perform those sudden darts and swoops, which are so familiar to us all, there seemed no end to their apprec- iation. Then, their admiration of the feat of sending up a " messenger " of paper along the string, was very full ; but nothing equalled the satisfaction they received from being allowed to fly it themselves. Of the toys which we made for the children, including most of the wooden articles which are to be seen in the shop windows at this season, nothing seemed to give so much pleasure as a "swing". Mothers, Fathers, spns, daughters and infants, kept the thing incessantly in motion, during the hours that we were obliged to — 49 — set apart for the purpose, as it was suspended from the beams of our kitchen ceiling, and there were times when its use would have been inconvenient. All were pleased with it, and mothers made use of it to quiet their infants, when other efforts seemed unavailing to reduce them to that condition which they are pleased to believe, and invariably describe to their intimates, as their normal one — Who ever .knew an infant which was not to a mother, "just the best natured baby in the world ! " Then we left them, glad at the opportunity of returning to our friends and more familiar occupations, but with a mutual regret at the severing of an association, which had made an otherwise dreary residence, one of some interest ; leaving behind us, let me hope, a no less pleasant memory than we brought away. -.- y ■ , . .-- - -,. ;.J7f/ -:.'