361 



In the valley below flows the Dulas brook, which here forms the boundary 

 between Herefordshire and Breconshire. The botanists were engaged in exploring 

 Cusoi) Hill, and although the time was limited some very good botanical work 

 was done, as is sho\vn in the accompanying report. The remainder of the party 

 went onwards up the valley until they crossed the brook which brought them to 

 the Artillery camping ground in Breconshire. 



A mule mountain battery was here encamped, and the process of dismount- 

 ing a gun from its carriage, unscrewing it into its two component parts, detaching 

 the wheels from the gun-carriage, and the method of placing them upon the 

 saddles, was exhibited by Capt. Irving, R.A. This whole process of saddling the 

 mules with all the component parts of a battery has been executed in the remark- 

 ably short period of forty seconds. A battery consists of 6 guns ; about 126 or 130 

 mules constitute its full establishment. The transport of one gim with its carriage 

 and sixteen rounds of ammunition is distributed over 5 mules, the average weight 

 transix)rted by each mule being 200 lbs. A mule with this burden is capable of 

 ascending and descending a slope of 45° ; and will descend this declivity with 

 greater ease and comfort than he will perform the ascent. The gun has a calibre 

 or diameter of 2| inches, and carries a cylindro-conical projectile of 7 lbs weight. 

 In the old Indian Battery the gim was formerly of one piece weighing 200 lbs ; 

 in the present day the gun weighs 400 lbs, and is a screw-gun comjrosed of two 

 pieces screwed together each piece weighing 200 lbs. 



Carriages met the party punctually and conveyed them along the devious 

 and narrow lanes, a distance of three miles, to the Crown Hotel at Hay, where 

 dinner awaited them. This seemed a fitting opportunity of taking a list of those 

 who attended the meeting, which is now given. 



Mr. H. Southall, F.R. Met. Soc, President; Rev. Wm. Elliot, Rev. A. 

 Ley and Dr. T. A. Chapman, Vice-Presidents ; Major H. Wilson, President of 

 the Malvern Club ; Rev. Canon W. L. Bevan, of Hay Castle ; Sir Herbert Croft, 

 Bart. ; Revs. T. M. Beavan, J. O. Bevan, J. E. Grasett, H. B. D. Marshall, 

 T. P. Powell, Wm. H. Purchas, D. Price, R. Remington, M. G. Watkins, and 

 H. T. Williamson ; Captain de Winton, Dr. J. H. Wood, Messrs. H. C. Beddoe, 

 J. Carless, R. Clarke, George Cresswell, James Davies, S. Gilliat, W. H. 

 Harrison, W. P. J. Le Brocq, C. J. Lilwall, J. W. Lloyd, B. St. John Attwood- 

 Mathews, T. C. Paris, A. Purchas, John Riley, Guy TrafiFord, James B. Pilley, 

 Assistant Secretary, and H. C. Moore, Honorary Secretary ; and the following 

 visitors :— Rev. Walwyn Trumper, Rev. H. North, Colonel E. Temple ; Messrs. 

 J. Cockcroft, — Dillow, E. Holcombe, Wm. Marriott, Secretary of the Royal 

 Meteorological Society, and Herbert Riley. 



Mr. Cecil Butler was elected a member, and the two following were 

 proposed to be balloted for at the next meeting : — Rev. H. North, and Rev. 

 W. H. Webster. 



The Honorary Secretary notified that the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club 

 had been registered as one of the "Societies in Union" with the Society of 

 Antiquaries, London. 



After dinner the members adjourned, by invitation of the Rev. Canon 



