The  Turks  had  placed below  the  castle,  and  near  the  city,  on  the  banks  of  the  famous river  Simois,  an  enormous  piece  of  ordnance  cast  in  brass,  which would  carry  a  marble  ball  of  at  least  1,100  pounds  weight. "I  was  very  anxious,"  says  Baron  Tott,  "to  fire  it,  in  order to  judge  of  its  effect.  The  whole  army,  however,  trembled at  the  idea  of  so  audacious  an  act,  for  they  asserted  it  would overthrow  not  only  the  castle,  but  the  city  also.  At  length  their fears  in  part  subsided,  and  I  was  permitted  to  discharge  it.  It required  not  less  than  330  pounds'  weight  of  powder  to  load the  piece  ;  the  ball  weighed,  as  before  mentioned,  eleven  hundred-weight.  When  the  engineer  brought  the  priming,  the  crowd who  were  about  me  retreated  to  a  respectful  distance ;  nay,  it was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  I  persuaded  the  Pacha,  who  came on  purpose,  that  there  was  no  cause  for  alarm ;  even  the  engineer, who  was  to  discharge  it  by  my  direction,  was  considerably alarmed.  I  took  my  stand  on  some  stonework  behind  the cannon,  gave  the  signal,  and  felt  a  shock  like  that  of  an  earth- quake!  At  the  distance  of  300  fathoms,  the  ball  burst  into three  pieces ;  the  fragments  crossed  the  strait,  rebounded  on the  opposite  mountain,  and  left  the  surface  of  the  water  all  in a  foam  through  the  whole  breadth  of  the  channel.

This,  gentlemen,  is,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  Baron  Tott's account  of  the  largest  cannon  in  the  world.  Now,  when  I  was there,  not  long  since,  with  Baron  Munchausen,  the  anecdote  of Tott's  firing  this  tremendous  piece  was  mentioned  as  a  wonderful instance  of  bravery  and  coolness.

My  friend  Munchausen,  who  could  not  endure  the  thoughts of  being  outdone  by  a  Frenchman,  took  the  cannon  on  his shoulders,  and  having  balanced  it  well,  leaped  into  the  sea,  and swam  across  the  strait.  In  an  evil  hour  he  took  it  into  his  head to  throw  the  gun  back  into  its  proper  position  below  the  castle. I  say  in  an  evil  hour,  for  it  slipped  out  of  his  hand  at  the  moment that  he  was  poising  it  to  throw,  so  that  it  fell  into  the  strait, where  it  is  lying  still,  and  where,  in  all  probability,  it  .will  lie for  ever.

- Chapter 11