284 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
I am indebted for the drawing to the courtesy of a gentleman of the 
Emperor's household to whom, from his knowledge of both languages, I 
applied for explanation of the technical expressions relating to harness. 
Sitting of the 19th February, 1858. 
The Minister of War has, in a dispatch bearing date the 4th February 
inst., referred for examination by the Committee the report of a Commission 
assembled at the School of Artillery of Versailles, which was charged with 
the making of some experiments on a system of harnessing with the bricole, 
submitted by Commandant Laffitte. 
This system consists of the bricole or hr east strap proper, supported by a 
wither strap, and completed with all the other parts of the harness as in use 
in the service with the exception of the collar. 
Eor the wheel horses, the breeching is in one piece and a neck stall serves 
to support the pole by means of a buckling strap. 
The bricole and the neck strap are made each of one piece of leather, folded 
on itself down the middle, inside to inside, so as to form two thicknesses 
between which grease may be inserted with the object of keeping these parts 
pliable, 
A “lay” is applied to the bricole , and is sewn down its length to 
strengthen it. 
The two edges of leather cut square which form the lower edge of the 
breast strap having caused some galls to the horses' chests, the Commission at 
the close of its experiments, recognized that to remedy this defect, it was 
necessary to let the inner flap overlap by three or four millimetres and to 
bevel oft* the edges of both substances. 
The price of the bricole is 15 fr. 
That of the neck strap is 5 fr. 
The breeching can be made up with the two portions of that now in the 
service, connected by means of a splice. 
Preliminary experiments had been made by Commandant Laffltte at the 
•end of 1856, and during 1857, with a section of field artillery, harnessed 
with the bricole . 
This section after having gone through the march to, and the manoeuvres 
at the Camp of Chalons, had subsequently been worked under the direction 
of the Commission formed by the General Commanding the Artillery of the 
Guard and had been compared with those equipped with ordinary collar 
harness in the draught of 24-prs. on different kinds of ground. 
It was ascertained that not one of the horses employed had been rendered 
ineffective for a single day. The Commission then undertook four series of 
comparative experiments. 
* * * * * 
In the fourth series of experiments two 24-prs. with teams of ten horses 
each, one harnessed with the collar and the other with the breast strap, were 
made to go up once a day, for three days running, a steep ascent in sandy 
ground of the most difficult nature. 
