92 CARNOT. 



Let us now remark, that modern fortification has the 

 defect of being extremely expensive. It was this ruin- 

 ous defect that Carnot wished to remove, by substituting 

 curved (or vertical} fire for the direct.* Carnot sur- 

 rounds a fortress by a simple wall, not faced, but fur- 

 nished with scarp and counterscarp. The wall does not 

 require a great thickness, because it has not to resist the 

 thrust of the earth destined to bear artillery on it. Be- 

 hind this wall he places mortars, howitzers, and pierriers 

 which are to carry curved fire into the country ; the 

 results of which, according to him, must be much more 

 effective than those of direct firing, and oppose obstacles 

 to the enemy's advance, more and more efficacious in 

 proportion to his approach. The wall is defiladed against 

 the direct fire of the besieger, by the earthen counter- 

 scarp, forming one of the faces of the ditch. It seems, 

 then, that to make a breach, it is requisite, as in the 

 present system of fortification, to crown the covered way ; 

 an operation which, according to the author, would be 

 eminently galling to the assailant. This supposes that a 

 breach could not be made in Carnot's wall but at a very 

 short distance, and within le tir de plein fouet, or point- 

 blank range. Foreign experiments, it is said, contradict 

 this hypothesis ; by employing curved fire, a breach 

 might be made at a sufficiently great distance, provided 

 the projectiles were of very large calibre. The question 

 then is not yet solved ; f the new mode proposed by 



* The word "curved fire" is employed, though "vertical" is the 

 usual term in English technical language, because curved includes 

 more as the vertical, the ricochet, and every thing between those 

 two. It might possibly be rendered" elevated fire;" and it should 

 be remembered that Carnot intended to use a sort of ricochet fire as 

 well as the vertical. Translator. 



f We should say, the question is now solved ; the experiments 

 made by foreigners are to be relied on, and are kept on record; at 



