involved in the Construction of Artillery. 397 



Note T.- (Sect. 2(5G.) 



Field Batteries of Wrought-iron Guns. — A recent date has seen the reduction to one 

 caliber (12-pounders) of the whole field-train of France, the realization of the ideas first 

 developed by her distinguished ruler. 



The advantages appear now confessed by all, and may be summed in great degree in 

 two sentences — simplification and increase of power. The latter has resulted much from 

 the abandonment of all the guns of smaller caliber. 



It does not appear to admit of dispute that increase of caliber, and therefore of range, 

 must be always advantageous to the army possessing it. The decisive effect of the absence 

 or presence in the field of preponderating weight of metal, was strikingly shown last year 

 by that of the two 18-pounders so opportunely brought up by the English at Inkermann. 



The general advantage, then, of increased caliber in field-batteries does not seem ques- 

 tioned; but with every increase of caliber, a train of consequences requires consideration. 

 The weight of ammunition ; the strength and weight of gun-carriages and ammunition 

 boxes, &c.; the horse-power for transport, and perhaps the number of men per gun, must 

 all be increased, but still faster, probably, in the ratio of £•' to D. 



The weight of shot alone must increase in this ratio ; but it is far from certain that the 

 weight of powder must, for the experiments or propositions made by Brittan, the author, 

 Whitworth, and others, on elongated " running shot," with closed windage, prove that it is 

 quite practicable to obtain, with equal weight of such shot, equal ranges to round shot, 

 with charges of one-third, or even less, of established service charges ; but elongated shot, 

 with small windage, by which alone this important economy in cost for expenditure and 

 transport of powder can be realized, demands guns which shall be capable of withstand- 

 ing, uninjured, the greatly increased local strain at the moment of explosion, and which 

 bronze guns will not do ; the increase of dimensions, and, therefore, as respects ammunition, 

 of weight, and horse-power, would be reduced to what is needed for increased weight of 

 shot only. 



As at present constructed, recoil is met wholly by the inertia of the gun and of the gun- 

 carriage; and if caliber be increased, these must be increased in mass to meet it; that is to say, 

 in undisguised words, our means for absorbing or reducing the recoil remain of that pri- 

 mitive character, that we carry about with us — over whatever diflBculties of country, or at 

 whatever expense, or destruction of horse-power — a quantity of dead weight, not required 

 to resist the explosion of the powder in its useful eflects, but merely to provide inertia to 

 bear its recoil. Now, it surely docs not admit of contest, that recoil may be absorbed by 

 elastic forces as well as by inertia, — by compression as well as by weight ; and that elastic 

 resistance may be increased as the caliber increases, without corresponding weight in 

 the equipments. Nor can it be doubted, that practical ingenuity can devise the means of 



VOL. XXIII. 3 F 



