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	Now here is one you have probably never seen before! No it isn't a Light Dragoon Pistol crossed with an anteater or a primitive blowtorch, it is a special pistol built with the sole purpose of lighting a cannon by firing a charge of powder directly at the vent. Lighting a cannon is traditionally done with a linstock, which is basically a stick with a burning piece of slowmatch on the end. The lit slowmatch is touched against the primer of the cannon, lighting it off. The priming can be loose powder loaded from a big powder horn or from a cartridge like a musket. Loose powder tends to blow away in a stiff breeze. Another way to prime a cannon is with a squib. A squib is a tube with powder in it that is just easier to handle than loose powder. On land, squibs were made of little sheet metal tubes, and when the gun fired, the tube would simply blow out on the ground. On a ship, however, where sailors were often barefoot, it would'nt be a good thing to have hot shards of sheet metal lying on the deck, so hollow goose quills were used instead as they would simply blow apart upon firing. Later on, in the early part oft he 19th century, someone invented a flintlock mechanism that bolted on to a cannon barrel and could be fired by pulling a lanyard. Once you get into the Civil War era, cannons were fired by means of a friction primer that was inserted into the vent and ignited by means of a lanyard that would drag a friction device inside of the tube (striking a spark like rubbing a match in a sandpaper tube). This unique pistol takes the place of all of those ignition methods, eliminating the need for loose powder, squibs, or even a linstock. The pistol can be kept at the battery loaded with and primed with powder, ready to fire the cannon at very short notice. No slowmatch to light with flint and steel, no priming to try and pour into the cannon's vent on a windy, stormy night. The barrel tube is 29 1/2" long, and unscrews off of the pistol to load. The pistol is 38 1/2" long overall. Using this tool, you could fire the cannon from outside of the wheels so you would not be hit by the recoil of the cannon. Simply point the muzzle of the extended barrel down the cannon's vent and fire the pistol! The original to this unique artillry tool was found in an old arms auction catalog from Europe. It is the only one we have ever encountered. The lock is British marked, and has a double throat cock, so it is very likely post 1809 when the double throat cock became standard. If you have a cannon, you need one of these to complete your display, if you collect unusual early weapons, this is by far one of the most unusual you will encounter!