What language or script please?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Go ahead, Dom. Jim's post was a request (suggestion), not a formal "rule".

The reason I suggested that requests for translations be accompanied by photos of the entire weapon was to establish context. Often if we have an idea what type of item and what style or form it is in we can get a better idea of where to begin looking for alphabets or characters and in markings, where to search.

[Dom]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

The reason I suggested that requests for translations be accompanied by photos of the entire weapon was to establish context. Often if we have an idea what type of item and what style or form it is in we can get a better idea of where to begin looking for alphabets or characters and in markings, where to search.

Thanks Andrew and Jim for the clarification
any way, I like the suggestion to present the object involved in its whole,

at least to satisfy our curiosity
and in the same time as a just reward, for a free service

anyway, Jim you touch an essential point,
translation it's easiest when we have a complet view,
associated with some focused pics
sometime, a sign will be neglected, out framed, not appearing on pic,
and prevent completely the reading for a word - a name, even a date

all the best

à +

Dom

[Jim McDougall]

Beautifully explained re: having the full image of item for translation Dom!
You really do excellent work and your help with these translations is a monumental asset here, and I always am grateful that you are so good at adding detail and explanations.

Cannonmn, thank you for being so proactive and helpful in your queries as well. With this kind of participation as the discussion continues it genuinely intriguing to read as it develops. These topics are outside my personal field of study, but you guys make it really fun to read! Thank you.

All the best,
Jim

[cannonmn]

Thanks for all of the information. I was somehow hoping the inscription (above the letter "R") would have some kind of date information in it, but apparently not.

In any case, the cannon was represented to me as having come from a particular place in Mexico. I find it very hard to believe, given the presence of Arabic characters, that it really did come from Mexico. The only small bronze cannons I've seen in the U.S. with such Arabic characters have come from either the Philippines or Indonesia. It is possible but I think very unlikely that the cannon was cast and probably used in, say, the Philippines where it got the Arabic characters, then transported all the way to Mexico where it was supposedly used at a presidio.

Dom demonstrated to me how much more legible an inverted image can be, so I've inverted the image of this inscription in case anyone wants a better look at it.