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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
under the sheers and hauled out by the main tackle on rollers. In 
doing this, great care is necessary to adjust the rollers so that the 
weight of the gun should be taken before swinging it clear of the 
wharf; otherwise, on the front roller coming to the edge of the wharf, 
the gun would drop with it, and break or strain everything by the jerk 
which is sure to follow. 
Two guns were embarked in four and a half hours. 
When a day intervened, the sheers were struck, a gun placed in 
position, and the sheers erected over it. 
Disembarking (Plate III.)—The guns were disembarked on the rocks 
below the forts by the same arrangement ; but in this case the gyns 
were stepped on a lower level than the top of the rocks on which the 
guns were to be landed. This allowed of the lower bar of the gyn 
being conveniently used, and the guns were swung in over it. On 
embarking, the bars of the gyn were not used. 
A messenger of 3|-inch rope, rove through a single 12-inch block, 
assisted the iron winch, and was worked by a. capstan. The messenger 
was also useful when stoppering the fall. 
No front foot ropes were used on disembarking the guns, but were 
employed on embarking them. 
Two guns were landed in the course of three and a half hours, but 
one gun could be landed in an hour. 
The height to the top of the rocks was 6 ft. to 10 ft. 
Besides the above, one gun at the Marina was raised by the gyn used 
as three-legged sheers with its own windlass, over which it was brought 
in, and dropped on the drug for conveyance to St. Elmo. 
This was done as it was considered probable that the guns might 
have to be landed in that way at the foot of the ramp at Fort Bicasoli, 
the landing place at that point being very small. 
The gyns stood well, and were sometimes inclined outwards about 
8 ft. 
Fort Bicasoli (Plate IY.)—The two guns were raised from the rocks 
into Fort Bicasoli—a height of 36 ft.—by means of large sheers, the 
spars for which were obtained from the Dockyard, and were old jib- 
booms, about 16 ins. in diameter at the butts and 49 ft. long. Iron 
chain of T 9 g- in. link was used in lashing them. 
The back guy consisted of two coils of 5^-inch white rope spliced 
together, and rove through two double 15-inch blocks. 
The fore guy was one coil of 5-inch tarred rope, rove through two 
15-inch double blocks. 
The main tackles—of which there were two—consisted of a coil of 
6-inch rope, rove through two double 18-inch blocks, and were hooked 
into an iron chain sling of 1-inch link at the head of the sheers. 
The falls were led to iron winches, and were also assisted by a 
messenger of 3J-inch white rope, rove through 12-inch single blocks, 
and worked by capstans. 
The two guns were raised'in the course of three and a half hours. 
The actual time of raising the first gun was one hour; the second was 
