THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
243 
of the day who carefully record the Prince's having resided—after his 
retirement from public affairs in 1673—at Spring Gardens and Windsor 
Castle. It seems probable that he may have occupied the house temporarily, 
during the construction of the batteries thrown up, under his superintend¬ 
ence, to protect Woolwich against the Dutch fleet in June 1667 (as more 
particularly described at the commencement of this paper). It is a some¬ 
what singular coincidence that the site of the great Military Arsenal of 
England should be thus associated with the name of a soldier so distin¬ 
guished as was Prince Eupert in the investigation of war-material manu¬ 
facture. He is recorded to have studied carefully, and to have determined 
many important points respecting, the best composition for gunpowder; to 
have patented a mode of annealing cast-iron guns; to have invented the 
“ prince's metal," or pinch-beck, with a view to its use in the casting of 
ordnance; and to have specially built a water-mill at Hackney Marsh for 
the boring of guns. 
The adjoining building (now Eoyal Laboratory pattern room) was 
rebuilt by Sir John Yanbrugh in the year 1719,* and used as an office 
by the Board of Ordnance. In 1741 it was converted into an instruction 
room for the then instituted Eoyal Military Academy, whose warrant 
(issued by George II. to the Duke of Montagu) dated the 30th April, 
1741, sets forth that it was intended “for instructing the raw and inexpe¬ 
rienced people belonging to the military branch of this office, in the several 
parts of Mathematics necessary to qualify them for the service of the 
Artillery and the business of Engineers; and that there is a convenient 
room at Woolwich Warren, which is our property, and may be fitted up for 
that purpose." According to the Eules for the Eoyal Academy at Woolwich, 
1741, it was ordered, “That an Academy or School shall forthwith be 
established and opened at the Warren at Woolwich in Kent, for instructing 
the people of the Military branch of the Ordnance, wherein shall be 
taught, both in theory and practice, whatever may be necessary or 
useful to form good Officers of Artillery and perfect Engineers." 
In the British Museum there may be seen a “ Plan of the 2 Gun-Battery s 
and Bomb-Battery in the Warren at Woolwich made by the Direction of 
the FIon ble . Major General Borgard in the year 1737," and “An Accurate 
Plan of the Town of Woolwich , his Majesty's Dockyard and Rope Walk, 
Survey'd by John Barker with the Plan of the Warren as Surveyed in 1748, 
with a view from Prince Eupert's Walk of the Eoyal Academy, Laboratory, 
&c." On this last-named plan (where the Warren boundaries are marked 
as in 1716) the north wing of the present official quarters is shown as 
“ New Barracks," the south wing as “ Old Barracks the Brass Eoundry 
is termed “ Eoundery for Brass Cannonthe Dial Square “ the Grand 
Square or Storehouse and Artificers' Shops," and a block of buildings on 
site of the west portion of the present Carriage Square is entitled “ New 
Square or Storehouses." There are also shown “The Laboratory in whose 
square Shells are stored," the “Shot Park," a “Turret adjoining the Eoyal 
* The marks “ G-.R. 1719 ” may be seen, to this day, upon the lead hopper-heads of rain-water 
pipes to this building and the block of official quarters in the Royal Arsenal. Two lead tanks of 
stables near the Plumstead Gate still bear the dates 1720 and 1729. 
