Contemporary sources not infrequently contain material which is either misleading or erroneous; or on occasion simply perplexing. Readers may care to speculate into which of these categories the following may be placed, an account ostensibly given greater validity by virtue of publication (albeit second-hand) in a journal intended for military professionals: "Citizen Mangin has lately constructed at Paris a machine, on principles entirely new; the experiment made with which is described in the Paris papers as it follows: 'Twelve soldiers armed with muskets, marched into the Seine, in order of battle, passed the river with the aid of the machine, which encircles their body, almost in a moment, spread as tirailleurs on the opposite bank, re-entered the Seine, halted in the middle of the river, made a well supported musket fire, loaded and primed with the upmost ease, on the surface of the water, and returned to the banks from whence they set out. Besides the weight of the man, the machine can carry one hundred pounds, without sinking.'" (The British Military Library or Journal, London 1799, Vol. I p.37). Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 5 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com