460 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
“ The quantity of scantling, plank, and spikes required for a platform of my 
construction, for one heavy piece of battering cannon on a travelling carriage; 
also the weight and value nearly calculated:— 
Platform . 
2£ inch oak plank, 9 feet by 7 feet. 
4 oak joists, 7 feet long. 
cwt. qrs. lbs. 
Weight of oak plank and joists.. 19 2 20 
Spikes, about. 1 0 0 
Total. 20 2 20 
£ S. d. 
Value of planks and joists . 7 0 0 
Spikes. 2 2 0 
Total. 9 2 0 
“ The intervals between my guns on this battery of my construction, serve 
for a mortar battery, and are to be used as frequent as the guns or as the 
nature of the service may require—which I look upon to be a very great 
advantage. 
“ I have not as yet been able to bring myself to approve of the works of 
many of the engineers that I have met with in our service; perhaps it was 
my misfortune in having different ideas from theirs. 
“ Various have been the inventions of some of the officers of artillery and 
engineers in our service, as w r ell as a very great variety of other people of 
almost all professions, for improving of our guns, carriages, and all other 
implements of war in our Boyal Artillery service; and our Master-Generals 
and the Honourable Board of Ordnance have given every encouragement to 
men of invention, and some they have rewarded; but how far they mean to 
adopt any of the new inventions for real service, I cannot pretend to say—I 
should hope not many. 
“ I have, on many occasions, endeavoured to prevail that no piece of 
ordnance of a less caliber than a 6-pr. should be sent on any service what¬ 
ever. A light 6-pr. can go wherever troops of every denomination whatever 
can be sent; and, with equall speed, my constructed carts with two horses 
carried 124 rounds for a 6-pr., as also every other necessary belonging to 
the men, as well as what was requisite for the service of the guns. 
Tor two light 6-prs. 
Bor two carts for ditto . 
To carry 124 rounds for each. 
To carry ammunition for two medium 12-prs. 
Horses to ditto . 
To draw the guns . 
If the roads are very bad .. 
4 horses. 
4 
3) 
4 carts. 
8 
10 horses. 
“ Guns of the above nature are the only ones I should apply for to the 
light brigades, and the above proportion of ammunition is very sufficient for 
