Disassembly of the Snider:
Rangoon oil? What the heck is that?
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myrifle |
Contemporary Articles About Sniders |
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Here are some articles I found about Sniders written in UK periodicals during the time in which the rifles were used.
Disassembly of the Snider: Rangoon oil? What the heck is that?
* This Is My Rifle *
Last Edited By: myrifle 11/02/09 19:48:02.
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myrifle |
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The next article is excerpted from the Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, November 1868. While not strictly about Sniders, it
gives us an insight into those who used them:
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11/02/09 19:47:24.
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myrifle |
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Next is an article from The Daily Cross - 1869. It's also about the Maori eradication campaign wars.
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11/03/09 11:55:50.
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Carignan Salieres |
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Thanks for these.
-Ryan |
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Old Coaster |
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Rangoon Oil??? 'Oil, Rifle and small arms for the use of, lubrication & cleaning purposes only, general issue' British service standard issue for
just about for ever. Every butt trap in every SMLE that ever existed from Rawalpindi to Cairo, from Cape Town to Dublin Castle had its own little oil bottle
filled with the vital fluid.
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freddo |
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Thanks for that Myrifle.Those New Zealand wars are amongst the least known or understood of British campaigns but they were full on.Your articles refer to the
Taranaki or second New Zealand war .The following images are of a Town called Russell( once called Kororareka) in the Bay Of Islands ,A fierce engagement was
fought here during the first New Zealand war.A more idylic spot to fight a battle would be hard to find,
This is the maoin street in Russell facing the beach to the right This is the church in Russell the centre of the action was along the front fence of this church They say there are still a couple of bullet holes in the church still but I could'nt find them.There are a number of Nantukect whalers buried in the church yard. This is another of the graves in the church yard. I do have more pictures but I don't know if you chaps are interested. And ,by the way myrifle there was never ,ever ,a campaign to eradicate the Maori.
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11/03/09 06:29:19.
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myrifle |
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Freddo, thanks for those photos. That fence in the photo, is it the one in question? My reading of the wars led me to believe that they were much of the same
character as the Indian wars in the US motivated by greed, propaganda, and racism. Can you give us more information about them? My whole reason for posting the
articles above was to provide background for the historical periods in which the rifles were used. If you have information about the wars, I'd love to read
more about them. As you so well point out they are not well known or understood. Thanks.
By the way, freddo, are you aware of the "papers-past" project? It's where I'm finding these articles. It's a really fabulous resource, and I wish I could find a similar one for my state.
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Pinky |
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Old Coaster
In WWI it was "Russian Petroleum" that was used for oiling of the rifles and carbines it says so in my Grandfathers "Soldiers Small Book" Though I do believe the Indians used the said Rangoon Oil until quite recently. Pinky
It is not a gun. It is not a Weapon. It is not a firearm. It is a single cylinder single stroke internal combustion engine with a free floating piston!
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freddo |
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myrifle.
Nowadays when people talk about colonialism they only talk about the worst aspects of it and recognise only the racist exploitative nature of it . In consequence they quite often have a very distorted view of it which in most cases is tailored to their own prejudices. It is never, nor was it ever a simple issue. If one were forced to explain the British empire in the most simple terms it would be true to say that it was established to create markets for the disposal of the production of their industrial revolution. The basic motivation was trade and the enforced need to protect those trade interests. Insofar as New Zealand was concerned this did not apply. The British government was not interested in colonising New Zealand in fact the new British colonies in Australia were forbidden to trade in Maoriland as it was then called and they were enjoined to leave the Maori alone. British law ,however did not hold sway over other nations and ships of other nations,in particular the Yankee Whalers had a lucrative side line in trading guns for flax with the Maori. Russell was the main port of call for these ships. The Maori were an extremely warlike people ever since the six canoes had arrived there from Polynesia centuries ago the descendants of those canoe occupants have been engaged in a savage war with each other. For a Maori to live was to be brave, For as long as they fought with their traditional weapons they manage to maintain a reasonable balance. The country is thickly dotted with Pa sites ( Maori fort ) which bespeak a fairly dense population and in which they could seek refuge in times of war The arrival of the traders with guns dramatically changed all that . The Maori with the gun lived the Maori without the gun died, This created a desperate need amongst the Maori to produce flax to trade for guns. They were unable to attend to their own foodstuff needs. To devote the time to the production of food crops meant no guns which in turn meant death . Starvation set in and this coupled with the gun induced massively enhanced death toll in their internecene wars embarked them on a course to extinction. In a very short time indeed the Maori population shrank dramatically.and would soon have ceased to exist Back in Russell the traders still traded .There was no law other than that of the gun and Russell or Kororariki as it was then called became known as the hell hole of the Pacific. Recognising these events and considering that they were occuring in their sphere of influence the Brits decided to do something about it. They sent over from New South Wales a magistrate and two police constables in the Queens uniform to impose law and order. This they did.(somthing similar brought many unwanted African colonies into the Empire) Subsequently they persuaded the Maori chiefs to accept the permanent protection of the crown and signed a treaty with them at a place called Waitangi across the bay from Russell . Their was no coersion. The way things were going the chiefs appreciated the wisdom of the move especially since the treaty guaranteed the Maori people all of their traditional rights, One chief ,however ,being a local strong man, decided that maybe it was not such a good deal for him and, not recognising, the binding nature of the treaty for the good of all .reneged and attacked Russell after chopping down the flagpole thus starting the first Maori war. the war was short lived but cost the Brits dearly and taught them a great respect for the Maori .A respect that I myself was taught as a schoolboy It is worth noting that the settlers were greatly assisted in the fight by other Maori tribes who saw the treaty as their protection. The second New zealand war was a great deal more complex and had its roots in land ownership and tenure.Companies were established to promote settlement in the colony. Land was needed for these settlers envious looks were directed at the immensly fertile lands of the Taranaki district .deals were done with one chief to the outrage of another Maori land title was never clear among themselves.Indeed it was so complex an issue that it has been said by one who should know that it all boiled down to -whoever was strong enough to occupy the land owned it. Traditional Maori rights were infringed Maoris reacted violently to some moves Their lands were confiscated as punishment and so on until it all erupted into the second New zealand war A longer and more bitter war than the first war and the effects of which are still echoing today. Never at any time was a campaign mounted by the settlers to eradicate the Maouri (rather the reverse). The Brits did not do it that way Nowhere is this more evident than in the treatment of the indians in the US and Canada.The results were the same but the methods vastly different. That is,in a nutshell,my understanding of the New Zealand wars. I am ready to stand corrected by any or all of our Kiwi members and would welcome thier views. The fence in the photo is a fence around the grave. The front fence of the church is about twenty feet behind the photographer. I have not heard about the paper past project.Whats the adress? A link for you- http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/subject-000002.html If you can find a book entitled 'Old New Zealand' by a pakeha maori Frederick Edward Maning you will find it entertaining and informative
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11/04/09 03:51:40.
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myrifle |
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This site is a great resource. Be careful though. You can sit and read for hours if you're not careful.
Papers-Past
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11/04/09 12:52:42.
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RichardWV |
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Rangoon Oil: This material is frequently alluded to in industrial works and journals published in Great Britain. It is simply petroleum obtained from Rangoon,
in Burma. The crude product is known as Rangoon tar; the purified oil as Rangoon oil. It came in various consistencies and as such "Rangoon oil" is
alot like saying motor oil in that it covers a range of similar products. Rangoon was one of the earliest petroleum deposits exploited in the empire and as
such, the gun oil made from it was referred to for years as Rangoon oil.....even long after the raw material was being obtained from other sources. In
consistency and properties it was a light to moderate weight machine oil. As to its unique qualities, it really was a rather indifferent lubricant and
anti-rust coating compared to what is available today.
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myrifle |
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Thanks freddo. I love to learn about the cultures of the past. I typically end my research at around 1250, as the modern writings have so much bias, but
collecting rifles has led me more and more to learn about more contemporary situations. I have to admit that my knowledge of New Zealand history is
embarrassingly thin as it is in most Americans, but thanks to you and the Papers-Past project I'm going to learn more.
Back in the 1980s I considered emigrating to New Zealand, but then I learned they weren't too keen on Americans. That sort of shattered my belief in the absolute supremacy of all things American, and it led me down a path of travel and study that today has made me a bit less provincial, and informs me daily that I have a lot to learn about the world.
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Old Coaster |
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I enjoyed Freddo's little lecture on NZ history. As always the 'real' truth that underlies much modern 'acceptable' mythology of
colonialism and the British Empire needs an airing from time to time. Britain in the 19th Cent. acquired vast areas of its colonial empire almost by accident,
in a state once described as - 'A coma interrupted by fits.' The old adage that 'Trade followed the Flag' was not always borne out in fact. In
Africa particularly 'The Flag' often had to reluctantly and belatedly intervene to rescue 'Trade' and the traders (and the missionaries) from
the various hornets' nests they had unwisely stirred up!
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GrantR Canada |
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freddo wrote:Very interesting and informative, Freddo! However, I must take strong exception to your inclusion of the words I emphasized in the quote above ..... Indeed, my comments can perhaps be summed up in your statement that "the Brits didn't do it that way." It is recognized that the treatment of our aboriginals ("First Nations Peoples" as they are called in Canadian PC-ese nowadays) was very different from what took place in the United States, although as you have correctly noted, the end result was much the same. There were absolutely no "Indian Wars" of any consequence in Canada, even from the latter days of "New France" and certainly not after Canada became part of the British Empire following the Seven Years War in 1756-63. Not that the native peoples were treated entirely with respect and dignity, of course, but the practice was one of establishing treaties with them prior to any significant white encroachment. Also, the treaties thus concluded were honored to a much greater extent than the similar agreements in the United States - though, again, I certainly don't claim that there weren't breaches and abuses.. The closest thing Canada had to an Indian War was the North West Rebellion of 1885, which lasted about 4 months from beginning to end. It was actually triggered by both real and perceived injustices (mainly typical Government neglect of grievances, rather than active maltreatment) toward the Métis - a unique mixed-blood people who came into existence as a result of the extensive "social interaction" between fur trappers/traders and the native population for a century or more before any significant settlement of the Canadian West began. The Métis had developed sizable communities and a distinctive culture of their own by the time such settlement began in earnest (after treaties had been neatly concluded with most of the Indian tribes). Unfortunately, the Government effectively failed to recognize that the Métis were there, too, and then continued to largely ignore their genuine concerns over land tenure and such, expressed more than once in nice, peaceable written petitions to Ottawa. When the rebellion broke out, some disaffected Indian bands (i.e. not whole tribes, by any means) took the opportunity to also go on a bit of a rampage, but they operated quite independently of the Métis insurgents for the most part.
Grant Rombough
Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada ("Rattlesnake Jack Robson", Scout, Rocky Mountain Rangers, 1885) WEBSITE: "RATTLESNAKE JACK'S"
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11/05/09 10:22:38.
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Pukka Bundook |
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Grant,
I am quite sure that's what Colin meant,...............the Very different way the natives were dealt with in the US...AS opposed to Canada, might have be a clearer way of putting it, but this was precisely Colin's point, I am sure. All best wishes, Richard. |
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RichardWV |
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What is thought of as the "Indian wars" in the US were really the closing chapter on centuries of systematic suppression and exploitation of native
peoples on both sides of the border by the French and British…and later the US. Much of the earlier atrocities against the tribes and their cultures in the
east are glossed over for the more documented closing days post Civil War, when cameras, a popular press and novels spread the truth and fiction of the
conflict with the plains people from a white man's point of view. While there is no doubt that Canadian policies were far different in the closing days of
the 19th century, the preceding 200 years of policies seem more differentiated by the spread of colonization than actual intent.
The French were far more benevolent invaders than the British because colonization wasn't their primary objective, exploitation of trade was. To achieve their goals policies had to encourage cooperation. Of course at that time the native population had no sense of or use for the border between New France and the English colonies and operated accordingly, which had dramatic and near catastrophic impacts on some tribes (nations) as they were used as pawns by the French and Brits in trying to extend and protect their respective holding on the N. American continent. There is a reason the 7 years war is known here as the French and Indian war. Natives used as surrogates by both sides did the bulk of the fighting and dying. This wasn't US policy; this was the British and French bringing their global agendas to the frontiers of their colonies. Keep in mind that the US didn't even exist until over 150 years after the British pushed on to the continent, by which time native populations east of the Ohio river valley were in serious decline from war, disease and displacement that had little to do with international lines or any US policy. |
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freddo |
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Sorry Grant. I see that my statement could be taken two ways. Pukka is correct about my intention.
I have always thought but never seen it mentioned that,like the Maori way of life,The Meti way of life was doomed . In the case of the Meti due to the slaughter of the Bison,and the fact of their land being required for settlement.How could the Meti,left to their own devices. have adjusted and survived Old coaster You got that just about right but ,insofar as the Brits were concerned ,it was very much a matter of the flag following the trade and the imposition of law and order. Disorder and lawlessness obviously,are not good for trade.The Brits were amazingly adept at imposing and maintaining law and order on a vast spectrum of races and cultures. I think their secret was that they had people who understood and repected those cultures and their values and used them to their own ends For those who are interested in the Zuklu campaign take note that the British ultimatum to the Zulus which brought on the war was delivered to the Zulu indunas under the canopy of a large fig tree. For the Zulus as with many other native cultures serious buisiness was carried out under the canopy of a tree . In the ancient Welch mythology as it is recorded in The Mabinogen, There is a story called The Dream of Macsen .In this story which has a tenuous connection with the facts of history. a Roman emperor has a dream wherein he travels over a great distance and eventually arrives at a many turreted castle built of differently coloured stones and located on an estuary across a narrow straits from an island. In the castle lived a beautiful Queen .He fell in love with her, they married and produced a son who was the first of the Welsh princes and legitimate ruler.of the Welsh So real was the dream that the Emporer sent out his people to find this castle.This they did and he married the queen and they produced a son who became the first native born ruler of Wales.That is the legend Of all the castles that King Edward built around Wales to impose his hegemony over the Welch Carnavon Castle is different .It is many turreted ,built of different coloured stones and located on an estuary across the Menai straits from the island of Anglesea .In short it exactly matches the castle described in the Dream of Macsen. It was in that castle that Edward had his son crowned Prince of Wales and where every first born son of the English Monarchs has been crowned prince of Wales ever since. That is how the Brits have done it for centuries Richardvw I certainly agree with your comments.They illustrate my point very well ./It could never be said that Daniel Boone and his ilk.did not understand the indian culture they would not have survived otherwise The French were very good at it too.How else could they both have got the indians to do their fighting for them.
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11/06/09 09:10:52.
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Bill Curtisra |
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Carnarvon Castle was built for Edward I in imitation of the Byzantine style of Constantinople which includes bands of red brick in the stonework. It is one of
the five great Edwardian Castles of the Iron Ring designed to keep the Welsh under control (not always successfully). They were Harlech, Carnarvon
(Caernarfon), Conway (Conwy), Rhuddlan and finally and not fully completed Beaumaris on Anglesey (Ynis Mon). I live quite near Rhuddlan. Caernarfon was the
place where Edward I, in response to Welsh sentiment, declared his infant son born there as the first Prince of Wales and where our present Queen carried out
the ceremony of creating Charles as the current Prince of Wales when he was a young man.
The idea of supporting the native characteristics of conquered people lapsed a bit where the Welsh were concerned in the 19th Century but is enthusiastically backed nowdays, especially in the area of the Welsh language which is used by about 20% of the overal population of Wales but tends to be strong in pockets.
W. S. Curtis, A.C.I.I.,
Vice President (Hon.), Crimean War Research Society, HBSA (Hon. Life), Assistant Curator, Museum of the National Rifle Association, Whitworth Rifle Research Project, MLAGB, NLRC, ATRA, &c. |
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myrifle |
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Sounds like they'd make for a good two-week vacation from the states. Historic castles are really inspiring places. I've pretty thoroughly traveled to
the castles of the Cathar Wars in the area of the Pyrenees, and I was able to get some really magnificent photographs.
* This Is My Rifle *
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freddo |
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myrifle.
The castles of Britain are very much a part of our common military history and well worth a visit. Know as concentric castles they were impregnable to the weapons and siege tactics of the time.They were pretty much the last of the line prior to the widespread introduction of gun powder and guns onto the battle field.Even today they are awesome manifestations of power.(like the cathedrals) and must ,in their heyday have impressed the local peasants no end. If you do go for a visit a I recommend little basic research into the politics of the day and some knowledge of how the castles actually were intended to work it will prove to be most rewarding. Bill. Rhudllan castle was the first castle that I ever saw as a child.we were going on holiday in Wales I was asleep in the car.I was woken by my brother as we crossed the river He said said 'Cor ! look at that .I bet thats dead ancient' I will never forget that first sighting.of those twin towers across the meadow and up the rise. I envy you living in that area it is so immensely rich in Welch historyand Arthurian folklaw.
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11/07/09 04:02:41.
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Tacolneston |
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The castles Bill mentions were royal castles built by Edward I during and following his campaigns of 1277 to 1282. (Those of us of a certain age might
remember the "New Riders of the Purple Sage" song about the war of 1282.) There are lots of other castles in Wales, some royal and many not,
reflecting the 200 years it took to defeat the Welsh Princes. Even where there is not much of the castle left some of the settings are superb. I grew up
within sight of Dinas Bran above Llangollen - only a few ruins, but still well worth a visit.
As an aside, Edward had to borrow the money to build his castles, and to finance his wars. The money came from Italian bankers, the Lombards. To guarantee the loans Edward gave them the right to collect customs duties. When they pressed too hard for repayment he hanged several of them. Times have changed. All of us fans of Zulu should know the history of Harlech castle, one of the seiges of which prompted the song Men of Harlech. I'll post a link to Castles in Wales. Welsh Castles To put us back on topic - Classic Arms & Militaria ran a series of articles by Graham Priest on the Maori Wars in Volume XI, issues 1 to 3, back in 2005.
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11/07/09 12:34:10.
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