Pretty nifty.
I forwarded this forum link onto a mailing list I'm on for pre-17th century cannons and gunnery, and learned that leather cannons were invented in the early 1600's in Zurich, and were used in the English Civil War.
"The presence of sympathetic foreign mercenaries in the service of
Gustavus Adolphus is well documented. The military genius of this
great General whose practices altered and reshaped military tactics
for centuries is also well known. One such innovation that caused
great alarm throughout the countries of Europe at its debut was his
new secret weapon-the leather cannon. The evolution of this weapon
of mass destruction finds it's early beginnings at Zurich where
the
Kings' Austrian born Colonel Melchior Warmprandt went to learn of
the new invention. He brought the idea back to Sweden and developed
it into the efficient anti-personnel weapon it became during that
European struggle. Scottish mercenaries were prominent in
Gustavus'
service and one prominent Captain of Infantry; Robert Scott was
among those who submitted a prototype weapon along with Ludvig Ripp,
a Captain of Artillerie in 1628 at the trials held at the naval
station of Skeppsholmen. One contemporary report in English credited
Scott with the invention of the marvelous leather Cannon! Facts
reveal a different story, but Scott did bring his own version of
this weapon to Scotland to be constructed and used in number with
good effect during the English Civil Wars.
This lightweight 3-pound cannon (Regimentstück) was a brilliant
tactical success. Taken apart and carted in wagons it was carried to
and assembled or rolled out to the front line to first receive the
Cavalry Charge. Using the first self contained linen cartridge ever
designed, 18 .80 caliber balls were hurled with deadly effect at
trooper then infantry alike. So devastating was the use of this
secret weapon that some exaggerated claims (up to 18 shots a
minute!) of its rapid fire heralded its announcement in the foreign
press. Its self-contained linen cartridge made at a munitions
factory was a singular innovation since these cartridges freed the
crew from the complicated loading process with powder and shot."
info found at the website of an ECW reenactment group,
Free Artillerie Company, Army of the Marquis of Montrose
These folks have reconstructed (and fired!) their own leather cannon.
It's pretty impressive to find leather cannon in use in Tibet over 150 years later. The cannon pictured above look very European in design, they most likely diffused eastwards instead of being developed locally.