608 REPORTS ON MOUNTING- OE HEAVY ORDNANCE AT MALTA. 
buckling, the long incline leading into the bottom of St. Forni, whereby the 
tedious process of using anchors in the street was avoided. A sling-wagon 
with an 80-pr. gun attached was brought from St. Elmo and placed at the 
top of the incline, the wheels were well scotched, and the winch made fast to 
this holdfast. A parbuckling rope was used at first, the standing end made 
fast to the holdfast; but in order to ease the labour of the men at the winch, 
a single block was attached, and through this a rope was passed to the winch, 
the standing end being made fast to the holdfast. The roadway was made 
of two 20-ft. 15" x 15" fir skids; on the front one an 8-in. oak skid, well 
greased, being placed under the short coil. As we could only obtain two, 
only one could be placed at a time ;* so that they were considerably worn in 
a short time. Thus the gun was kept level, and could be cut forward with 
tolerable ease. 
In order to avoid halting every time the muzzle was to be cut forward, 
and also using a separate capstan, the following ingenious plan was adopted 
by Lieut. Coffey-—viz., a tackle of a double and triple block was attached to 
a muzzle fid (the triple block next the muzzle), then the standing end was 
fastened to the main tackle block, and the running end to the parbuckling 
rope some feet beyond and secured; so that when the strain took as the gun 
rolled the muzzle was cut forward as far as required, and the running end 
of the tackle again cast off. The gun was parbuckled half up this incline. 
August 30th .—The gun was parbuckled up to the top of Strada Nicola 
and bottom Strada Forni. 
August 31st .—The 2nd 38-ton gun was landed. Working party as 
before. Time about our hour. 
The preparations were the same, except that a crab capstan close to the 
landing place was used, by which to haul the sleigh on shore, and the gun 
was there left until the first gun was clear out of the way and the skids 
and planks could be spared. 
In the afternoon the first gun was slewed round and moved forward about 
10 yds. 
September 2nd.— Sunday. 
September 3rd .—Parbuckling was continued as before, using a single 
block, the parbuckling rope being attached thereto. 
September 4th .—-The gun was then placed on to short skids and left on 
the trench curtain out of the way of the traffic, until the second gun should 
be brought to the same spot, as it was necessary to clear the Jews' Sallyport 
as soon as possible. The drawbridge having been removed, and all traffic 
stopped, my men were therefore withdrawn for the second gun, which was 
brought up under Captain Wickham, after we had landed it. 
Operations were not resumed at the first gun until the 20th September, 
when, being in command of the Yaletta Division, Lieut. Coffey assumed 
charge, and the remainder of the journey was performed under his superin¬ 
tendence. 
The second gun was brought up as far as the first gun under 
Captain Wickham's superintendence, and there left until it would be con- 
* Two of these 8-in. oak skids requisite. 
