These incredible Russian carronade cannons were captured by the British during the Baltic Capmpaign of the Crimean War. Admiral William Hutcheon Hall, commander of the HMS Blenheim, broke through the fortifications at Hangö and took these carronades as a spoil of war in 1855. These intriguing military artifacts were soon brought to Queen Victoria's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. These 12-pound carronades were created in 1835 at the Alexander foundry in St. Petersburg, which was founded in 1809 and became the principal Russian foundry for artillery. Their shortened barrel and low muzzle velocity made the carronade perfectly suited for use on naval ships, since it required less metal to create than longer guns of the same caliber. Originally developed at the Carron ironworks in Scotland for use by the British Royal Navy, the design was perfected by British industrialist Charles Gascoigne, who began to work for the Russians in 1786 to help them develope the foundry at Alexander. This pair is of Gascoigne design, and bear the double eagle coat-of-arms of Russia.
