It is probable that the indications which we have of the early use of fiery missiles in ancient Indian warfare, refer more to rockets than cannons, and we will now proceed to consider the nature of these weapons.

Manu, quoted by Elphinstone, prohibits the use of fire-arrows.* The passage most commonly quoted to show the early use of fire-arms in India is extracted from the Code of Gentoo Laws, where we have the following prohibition: “The magistrate shall not make war with any deceitful machine, or with poisoned weapons, or with cannon and guns, or any kind of fire-arms.” Halhed, commenting on this pas­sage, says: “The reader will probably from hence renew the suspicion which has long been deemed absurd, that Alexander the Great did absolutely meet with some weapons of that kind in India, as a passage in Quintus Curtius seems to ascertain. Gunpowder has been known in China, as well as Hindústán, far beyond all periods of investigation. The word “fire-arms” is literally the Sanskrit agniaster, “a weapon of fire;” they describe the first species of it to have been a kind of dart, or arrow tipt with fire, and discharged upon the enemy from a bamboo. Among several extraordinary pro­perties of this weapon, one was, that after it had taken its flight, it divided into several separate streams of flame, each of which took effect, and which, when once kindled, could not be extinguished; but this kind of agniaster is now lost.”* He then goes on to say, that cannon is called shataghnee, or weapon that kills one hundred men at once,* and that the Poorán-shásters ascribe the invention of these destructive engines to Viswacarma,* the Vulcan of the Hindús,—a name which M. Eusebe Salverte* is tempted to believe furnished the etymology of the French word vacarme;—which is about as reason­able as to suppose, that Charivari comes from Chakravarti, because it is a title exclusively devoted to those who have made a considerable noise in the world.

The submarine fire urva, in the drama of the Sakuntalá, where it is called “the mysterious fire which burns in the depth of the seas,” has been supposed to allude to a composition similar to Greek-fire; but M. Langlois, appealing to an episode from the Harivansa, enter­tains the much more probable opinion, that a submarine volcano is alluded to.* Viswámitra, who is represented in the Rámáyana as giving different kinds of weapons to Ráma, speaks of one as ágneya, another as shikhara.

Carey and Marshman, who render shikhara as a combustible weapon, deduce from this passage that the ancient Hindús were acquainted with gunpowder. The passage, however, seems to contain a mere poetic fiction. The author there speaks of numerous kinds of wea­pons, some of which were evidently imaginary, as, for instance, the váyava or airy.*

The Harivansa speaks of the fiery weapon thus:

“King Sagara having received fire-arms from Bhárgava,* conquered the world, after slaying the Taljanghas and the Haihayas.”

Again, the same:

“Urva, having performed the usual ceremonies on the birth of the great-minded (prince), and having taught him the Vedas, instructed him in the use of arms; the great-armed (Urva) (presented him) the fiery weapon,* which even the immortals* could not stand.”

The following lengthy description in the Srí Bhágavat of the dis­charge of the brahmástra* is somewhat peculiar.

“The murderer of the princes (Aswattháma), seeing him advancing from a distance, was much alarmed, and fled for his life in his car, like Brahma running away for fear of Siva, as far as it was possible to go on the earth. When his horses being fatigued, he considered himself without help, the Brahmin's son looked upon the brahmástra as his only refuge. Accordingly, having washed his hands, and fixed his mind, he adjusted, and discharged it, though he did not know how to draw it in, in case of danger. Arjuna, seeing a glaring light flaming on all sides, and considering his life in danger, spoke to Krishna: ‘O Krishna! Krishna! thou great-armed! thou who makest thy followers fearless! thou art the only deliverance for those who burn in the world. Thou art the first Being, absolute God, superior to Prákriti itself. Thou dwellest in the spirit alone by the power of intellect, giving up Máyá. Thou ordainest by thine own power the righteousness and well-being of all people, whose minds are blinded by Máyá. Even now thou art incarnate, in order to bear the burden of the world, and even to help thine own people, who think of no body else. Oh God of Gods! I know not whence this is, or what it is. I see a fearful light coming from all sides.’ Krishna's answer:—‘Know this to be the brahmástra of the son of Drona. He does not know how to draw it in, in case of danger. He has no other counteracting weapon. Thou art well skilled in arms; destroy the force of this by the power of thy arms.’ Súta continued: ‘Arjuna, the destroyer of hostile chiefs, having heard Krishna's language, and having washed his hands, discharged his brahmástra against that of his antagonist. The fury of the two fiery darts acting against each other, overspread the heavens and earth, and waxed strong like the burning rays of the sun. The three worlds were illuminated by the great light of the two weapons; the inhabit­ants were all burnt, and believed the end of the world to be at hand. Arjuna observing the calamity which befell the world and the distress of the people, drew in both weapons agreeably to Krishna's wishes.”

In a note on the subject of the brahmástra, the Rev. Krishna Mohan Bánerjea, to whom I am indebted for the preceding reference, observes in his excellent work the “Encyclopædia Bengalensis,” that the brahmástra was probably a piece of musketry, not unlike the modern matchlock.*

The Srí Bhágavat makes mention also of Aswattháma's discharg­ing his brahmástra against Uttara while she was with child, with a view to destroy her embryo; and Krishna, the constant friend of the Pándavas, is represented as saving her by his superhuman power. The Devi Purána says that Brahma made the instrument for the purpose of killing Náráyan.* The curious part in the preceding description is the drawing the missile back.* In this respect it has some resemblance to the boomerang of the Australian savages. An account of this magic stick, which returns to the persons who throw it, is subjoined.*

In the Mahábhárata we read of a “flying ball emitting the sound of a thunder-cloud,” which Bopp considers to apply to a meteor, though the scholiast is express in referring it to artillery.*

In this place observation may be drawn to the very singular relation of a combustible, which occurs in the Extract from the Mujmalu-t Tawáríkh (suprà, Vol. I. p. 107), where we read that the Bráhmans counselled Hál to have an elephant made of clay, and to place it in the van of his army, and that when the army of the King of Kashmir drew nigh, the elephant exploded, and the flames destroyed a great portion of the invading force.* Here we have not only the simple act of explosion, but something very much like a fuze, to enable the ex­plosion to occur at a particular period. The testimony is valuable, for the work was translated as early as A.D. 1126 from the Arabic, which had been translated a century previous from a Sanskrit original, even then acknowledged to be very old.

We have other Eastern stories, all bearing much the same char­acter, and all composed long before the invention of gunpowder; and, therefore, the writers had no opportunity of applying modern knowledge to the history of a more remote era.

Firdúsí, who died A.D. 1020, tells us that the troops of Sikandar (Alexander the Great) were greatly terrified at the sight of the two thousand elephants which Fúr had brought into the field, and that some philosophers were requested to consult together to contrive some means of counteracting this tremendous force. They suggested the construction of an iron horse, and the figure of a rider, also of iron, to be placed upon wheels like a carriage, and filled with naphtha; so that, on coming in contact with the elephants, the whole engine might explode.* The monarch approved of this invention, and collected all the blacksmiths and artizans in the country, to con­struct a thousand machines of this description with the utmost expedition. The consequence was, that when Fúr advanced to attack, the combustibles were fired by the Grecians, and the horses explod­ing, many of the elephants were burnt and destroyed, and the rest, together with the army, fled away in confusion.*