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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
officers and privates with a narrower gold lace—white spatterdashes were 
then worn. 
The regimental clothing was deliver’d to the non-commissioned officers 
and privates once a year, excepting regimental coats, which they received 
only every second year, and the entermediate year a coarse blue loose surtout 
which served for laboratory works, cookings, fatigues, &c. was deliver’d with 
the usual small mounting. 
The arms of the officers were fuzees, without bayonets, and not uniform; 
the serjeants, corporals, and bombardiers were arm’d with halberts and long 
brass hilted swords, the gunners caried field staffs about two feet longer than 
a halbert, with two linstock cocks branching out at the head, and a spear 
projecting between and beyond them; great attention was paid in keeping 
these very bright; a buff belt over the left shoulder slinging a large powder 
horn, mounted with brass over the right pocket, and the same long brass 
hilted swords worn by the non-commissioned officers. The mattrosses had 
only common musquets with bayonets and cartouch boxes. 
The regiment was distributed in the following manner, viz. one 
company in Minorca, one at Gibraltar, one at the fishing ports in New¬ 
foundland, three with the army in Flanders, and two at Woolwich; the two 
last furnished all detachments, which at that time were only those on board 
the bomb vessels on service with the fleets in the Mediterranean and 
West Indies. 
. .. ' \ 
1744 In March, two companies were rais’d and added to the regiment, 
which now consisted of ten, and were disposed of as follows, viz. 
In Minorca, Gibraltar, and Newfoundland, one company at each—one 
company was sent to Flanders in addition to the three already there, and 
three remained at Woolwich. 
In June, His Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland came to see 
some expertments and a proof of guns at Woolwich, when the three 
companies there were under arms, commanded by Major Lewis; about 
twenty cadets then at Woolwich, were form’d in a rank entire on the right 
of the companies, without arms or uniform and no officer at their head. 
The officers did not then practice saluting with the fuzee, and only pull’d 
off their hats as the duke pass’d them. 
A circumstance which does so much honour to the corps of Artillery as 
the following, ought to be mentioned. 
The King of Sardinia then in alliance with Britain, being threaten’d with 
an invasion by the combined armys of France and Spain; apply’d to Admiral 
Mathews commanding the fleet in the Mediterranean, and prevail’d with 
him to consent that the detachments of artillery serving on board the four 
bomb ketches in the fleet, should be sent on shore to take charge of the 
most important posts and batterys on his frontier, from a persuasion as may 
be justly presumed, that they were more to be depended on than his own 
artillerists. This detachment consisted of one captain, four lieutenants, 
and twenty-four bombardiers, and perform’d all that was required of them 
perfectly to the satisfaction of His Sardinian Majesty; they were taken 
prisoners in the defence of Montalban and Montleuze, two strong posts 
which were taken by the French and Spaniards by assault in April. 
