six rather wicked-looking carronades"

Can you expand on "carronade"? I misread it at first as "cannonade," which I know is a furious bombardment of cannonfire, but this is my first encounter with carronade.

EDIT: Answering my own question: See http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/gen1.htm

It would have made such a lovely Hogwash word, too...