THE BEOME-WALTON FAMILY. 
413 
making the task of supplementing and correcting, on present occasion, 
peculiarly distasteful to the writer—apart from the necessity of his 
having occasionally (especially up to 1762) to diverge from the per¬ 
sonal memoirs of the Brome family in order to cut an artillery road 
through the tangled jungle of impersonal history. We are all desirous 
of having the history of the Royal Artillery brought into line with 
modern times, and the “Proceedings” of the Royal Artillery Institu¬ 
tion are now accumulating invaluable materials to this end; but how 
unwise to attempt to rear the building higher without reviewing and 
rectifying the basis and structure of the existing edifice ? 
Only with episodes of this eventful era, however, in which members 
of the Brome family were prominent actors are the present Memoirs 
directly concerned. 
The declaration of war against Spain, 1740, by Britain ignited a 
train that was to fire central Europe, and found“ England the Unready ” 
true to her character, after the lassitude of a long era of peace. 
Minorca was expected to be the first object of attack by Spain, and 
Port Mahon (Minorca) was already strengthened by the presence of 
Commodore Haddock with a squadron of nine ships of the line 1 2 ; and 
while infantry reinforcements were being got ready to augment the 
attenuated garrison of 2000 officers and men, a Royal Warrant, of 
21st April, 1740, directed that the company of Royal Artillery be 
augmented to 100 men, with an addition of three officers, one of whom 
was Lieutenant-Fireworker Charles Brome? upon whom was conferred 
the functions of local Adjutant to the Royal Artillery—his son, Bom¬ 
bardier Joseph Brome , being at the time Drill-Master. The armament 
of Port Mahon consisted of 
but, owing to the activity of the fleet, Spain did not at this time 
attack Minorca; and it was only on outbreak of the war of the Aus¬ 
trian Succession that Charles Brome —who had fought in so many sieges 
and battles under Borgard—was again to take the field, and Joseph 
Brome to undergo his baptism of fire and to be carried by the “boom” 
of war to become the foremost officer of the Royal Artillery. 
In the effort to strengthen the artillery in other foreign garrisons, 
and in despatching to the West Indies, with the ill-fated expedition 
of 1741, “the most formidable train of artillery since the days of 
1 “ Annals of War ” (Oust), anno 1740. 
2 Duties of Lieutenant-Fireworker .—To exercise all under Fireworkei’s, and keep them at 
work in the Laboratory. To be ready to attend all expeditions, and give an account of the 
materials necessary. To teach all Fireworkers the art of making fireworks. To see that no 
materials are embezzled, nor any used by a learner, without permission, &c., &c .—Vide “ Cleave- 
land MSS.” pp. 77, 78 ; also “ The Regimental Companion ” (Adye), Yol. III., p. 284. 
