Incidentally, this does help explain one of the more curious bits of my bad English translation of Sandokan. In one of the battles there is a reference to machinegun fire. I didn't think Emilio Salgari was sloppy enough to put machineguns in the 1850s. Today I came across this concerning the introduction of the Mitrailleuse:
Another reason may have related to the introduction by the French army of the Beaulieu 4-pounder rifled field-gun in 1858: the new artillery, though much more accurate and long-ranged than the smoothbore ‘canon-obusier’ it replaced (which, incidentally, was the most prevalent artillery piece of the US Civil War), was not suited to firing anti-personnel case-shot (which, in French, is called ‘mitraille’). The Mitrailleuse so gained its name, and may thus have been intended to provide the high-volume dispersed anti-personnel fire which rifled ordnance—at this early stage in its development—could not.
Undoubtedly, Salgari was talking about case-shot, but since the Mitrailleuse lent its name to later rapid-fire guns in French (and subsequently Spanish and probably Italian), the translator got confused.
no subject
Another reason may have related to the introduction by the French army of the Beaulieu 4-pounder rifled field-gun in 1858: the new artillery, though much more accurate and long-ranged than the smoothbore ‘canon-obusier’ it replaced (which, incidentally, was the most prevalent artillery piece of the US Civil War), was not suited to firing anti-personnel case-shot (which, in French, is called ‘mitraille’). The Mitrailleuse so gained its name, and may thus have been intended to provide the high-volume dispersed anti-personnel fire which rifled ordnance—at this early stage in its development—could not.
Undoubtedly, Salgari was talking about case-shot, but since the Mitrailleuse lent its name to later rapid-fire guns in French (and subsequently Spanish and probably Italian), the translator got confused.