236 British Artillery Matériel. [April, 
muzzZle-derricks, &c. With the same view it has been de- 
cided to ease off the loading side of the grooves at the 
muzzle, to facilitate the entry of the projectile into the 
bore. This is done by cutting away the lands, and thus 
widening the grooves to the extent of I inch, tapering down 
to the original width of the groove in a length of 2 inches, 
measured parallel to the axis of the bore, the corners being 
well rounded off. 
IX. Amongst other changes, necessitated by the intro- 
duétion of pebble powder, have been the regraduation and 
assimilation of Land-service and Sea-service tangent sights ; 
and advantage has been taken of this opportunity to secure, 
as fully as the various classes of projectiles will allow, the 
introduction of an uniform system of applying the informa- 
tion which is engraved on the sight bars; and as the slow- 
motion elevating screw in tangent scales for land service is 
abolished in sights for guns of 64-pounder calibre and up- 
wards, the land and sea service sights for guns of these 
natures will be interchangeable. Takethe 7-inch M. L., for 
instance, the following information is to be found on the 
hexagonal bar of its centre hind sight :—On one side is given 
for double shell full range in yards, next common shell full 
fuze, common shell full yards, Palliser shot or shell and 
common shell battering yards, common shell battering fuze, 
and double shell full fuze. 
The above are, of course, only a very few of the numerous 
alterations which are gradually changing the character of 
our Artillery matériel; but these few desultory notes, in 
which our heavy ordnance manufacture and trials between 
targets and shot and shell are necessarily excluded, will 
“serve to show that our factories are not at a standstill. It 
is reported that Mr. Scott Russell has in hand a gun on an 
entirely new principle, with whick he is going to astonish us. 
