THE EOYAL AETILLEEY INSTITUTION. 
21 
in a state approaching to stable equilibrium. As soon however as the 
elevators pass off the circular arc on to the greater curve the leverage ill 
favour of the counterweight goes on in an increasing progression, until it 
becomes sufficient to meet the utmost force of the recoil. Thus the recoil 
is absorbed without necessarily using friction, and it will be observed how 
this arrangement takes off that shock, and vibration, which proves so 
destructive to pivots, and masonry, in the ordinary carriage, and which has 
led to so much expense lately in making foundations strong enough for the 
platforms of heavy guns. 
When the gun has recoiled as far as it will go, it is held in that position 
by a self-acting pawle, and then loaded under cover. The elevation can also 
be given to it in this position, if desired, as there is a trunnion pointer with 
segmental scale on the cheek of the carriage. 
If the pawle is lifted the energy of the recoil (stored as it were in the 
counterweight) raises the gun into the firing position, its movement upwards 
being regulated by one gunner holding the handle of the friction band. 
Thus a dangerous and destructive agent is tamed, and turned into a useful 
servant. 
When the gun is in the firing position it can be laid either with the 
usual sight, and in the usual manner, or it may be laid with my reflecting 
sight from below. In the former case, No. 1 steps off the shelf in rear of 
the gun on to another shelf at the side of the rail, he there can remain while 
the gun is fired, and the time taken to step from the one position to the 
other is less than that required on a dwarf traversing platform. If the 
reflecting sight is on, the laying can be checked from below. 
In the latter case, viz : where the reflecting sight alone is used no one is 
exposed, and as the elevating screw in that case can be worked in front of 
the carriage and the traversing at the side of the platform, a new condition 
is obtained, viz. the power of following a moving object, and firing at it 
while the gun is actually in motion. In this case No. 1 does not require 
to guess the distance before the object passing his front, as in laying the 
gun on a dwarf traversing platform. 
In this paper I do not go much into details, nor shall I describe any of 
the other carriages, feeling that a description of one class of carriage is 
enough to illustrate the principle which is common to all. By abstaining 
from this however, I must leave very interesting ground, as the whole 
question connected with siege guns must be left out.* In these the wheels 
are used for elevators, and in some cases the counterweight is dispensed 
with, when its weight would be inconvenient for transport. I must 
also leave untouched as belonging to this branch of the subject, the new 
conditions that these lighter guns would give in resisting the landing of 
troops covered by the heavy fire of ships—their use in covering the front 
of a permanent encampment, in siege operations, &c. 
I have been engaged in the Royal Arsenal since the 13th of August in 
superintending the manufacture of a carriage, &c. suited for a 7-ton rifled 
gun. The government decided to test my invention by selecting that 
* See discussion on General Sir J. E. Burgoyne’s paper On the siege of BorgOforte; June 1866 
“ Professional Papers of the Eoyal Engineers,” Vol. XVI. p. 6; 
