160 
MINUTES OE PKOCEEDINGS OF 
3. In addition to the foregoing inquiry as to the action of percussion 
fuzes in earth, experiments were made for the purpose of ascertaining the 
penetration of rifled and spherical projectiles, of various calibres, into earth¬ 
work. 
4. The spot selected for these experiments was near the town of 
Newhaven, on the coast of Sussex, advantage being taken of a natural 
mound of earth called the Castle Hill, which overhangs the sea, and served 
as a target for testing penetration in natural earth. This experiment was 
combined with observations on the penetration of projectiles into artificial 
earth, for which purpose (in May 1863) a parapet, 25 feet thick on the 
superior slope, was thrown up at about 20 yds. from the base of the Castle 
Hill. 
5. During the progress of the experiments, a second artificial parapet 
was erected to serve as a target for estimating the comparative breaching 
effects of live shells fired from rifled and smooth-bored guns at earthworks. 
The battery was established on a rising ground about 1060 yds. from the 
Castle Hill, at about 230 ft. above the sea. It consisted of the following 
pieces of ordnance. 
Rifled* 
12-pr. Armstrong gun of 8^ cwt., on travelling carriage. 
20-pr. L.S. ,, ,, 16| „ ,, „ 
40-pr. „ „ 33 „ „ „ 
70-pr. side B. L. gun 61 „ on garrison carriage. 
110-pr. Armstrong gun 81 „ on naval sliding carriage. 
Smooth-bored . 
10-in. gun, 86 cwt., on naval sliding carriage. 
68-pr. „ 95 „ „ „ „ 
8-in. „ 52 „ on travelling carriage. 
32-pr. „ 50 „ „ „ 
The soil in the artificial parapets was a very compact loam, approaching in 
stiffness to clay, mixed here and there with white and red sand. The soil in 
the natural embankment on the Castle Hill varied from stiff clay to gravelly 
clay, with veins of very hard gravel and flinty conglomerate. 
6. Tire was opened on the 11th of August, 1863, and the experiments 
ranged over a period of one month, eight days being occupied in firing, and 
the remainder in digging out shot, recording penetration, and repairing the 
parapets. The first experiment was to ascertain the penetration of projectiles 
from rifled and smooth-bored ordnance into natural and artificial earthwork. 
Solid shot and common shells, weighted with sand and plugged, were fired 
from the different natures of guns, with the exception of the 12-pr. Armstrong, 
w'hich fired segment shells. Each gun fired till five hits were obtained with 
each nature of projectile; and the following Table gives the mean penetra¬ 
tion of the several natures of projectiles into earthwork:— 
