THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
8 
• Removal of 43 cannon (probably tbe 42 and the great cannon above named) 
beyond St Marcel for proof, and taking them back; and for the removal of 12 and 
returning them on a former occasion, 1 ecu. 
Charcoal (‘ charbon ’) for proving these cannon, 16^. 
Timber (‘mairien’) and planks of white wood, on which the cannon were 
mounted, cost 13 J ecus. 
41b. ointment and £ lb. wax given to the ‘ artilleurs * for their work, and to 
grease the espringales, \ ecu. 
Strong planks for the sides (‘ oreilles *) and uprights (* montans *) of the cannon, 
315 . 56 ?. 
100 ‘garros* winged in three places for cannon 2J ecus. 
1358. 
500 ‘ garros a canons,* 5 ecus. 
Item, a Francois le serrurier pour IX canons sur III pies ferez et encTiier denches 
et de platines par cJiascun I ohole d'or valent III oboles d'or. 
Item , pour XXI canons ferez et enchier chascun par lui dencJie et de platines et 
coustent les trois canons I escut valent VII escus pour tous ces canons enferer 
IX escus I quart. 
29 lb. sulphur for powder for cannon, 5| ecus. 
Charcoal, 165. 
Beaters to beat the powder, 205. 
A great leathern sack and three lesser ones to hold the powder, 125. 
Four dozen little leathern sacks to distribute the powder, 1 obole d’or, 25. 
400 c garros * winged, half for cannon, half for espringales, 2£ ecus per 100, 9 ecus. 
Removal of the said artillery, I Os.** 
Then follow other entries relating to espringales. 
From this series of accounts we learn that the corporation of Laon, already 
possessing at least twelve cannon, caused to be made at one time forty-three 
others, one of which is described as a great “ canon a queue/* These forty- 
three cannon were then removed to a suburb of the town for proof, and 
afterwards taken back into the town, and mounted on frames composed of 
timber and planks of white wood. To their form, or that of the frames on 
which they were placed, we have no clue; and we can only judge of their 
size by comparing their price with the wages of a skilled mechanic, as given 
in the same account, and by the quantity of powder used at their proof. 
Applying the first test, we find that the great “ canon a queue ** cost three 
ecus (two pounds), while the artilleur received daily one-third of an ecu; 
so that the value of this large cannon was only equal to nine days wages of 
a skilled artilleryman, or, according to another item, between twenty-two and 
twenty-three days wages of a common labourer. 
The sulphur and saltpetre for their proof cost two ecus, the charcoal 1 
The price of saltpetre was J ecu per lb., and that of sulphur rather more 
than -J- ecu per lb. If the powder contained twice or three times as much 
saltpetre as sulphur, (and in the previous half century the former proportion of 
saltpetre was rarely exceeded,) this sum of money would have sufficed for about 
6 lb. saltpetre and lb. sulphur. Add to this some 2 lb. charcoal, and from 
10 lb. to 11 lb. powder is obtained for the proof of forty-three cannon, or about 
4 oz. of powder for each cannon. The proof charge was probably rather a 
large one, or else at least two discharges would be required as a safe test for 
each cannon; hence we deduce that 2 oz. or 3 oz. was the service charge of 
