262 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
battalions to join the allied army in Brabant, and one company embarked in 
May, with six battalions commanded by Lieut.-General Sinclair, on an 
expedition to the coast of France, where a fruitless attempt was made on 
Port L'Orient—this expedition was originally intended against Quebec. 
Two companies remained then at Woolwich. 
N.B. The company detach’d on the expedition to the coast of Prance was com¬ 
manded by Captain Chalmers. He and the company under his command were put by 
express orders of the Master-General under the command of Mr Armstrong the chief 
engineer on that service, who had not at that time nor ever had, before or since, 
any rank or commission in the army; for the corps of engineers had no military 
rank or title till the year 1757 ; and the circumstance just now mention’d, is the 
more remarkable, as hitherto on all services, whatever engineers were employ’d 
were immediately under the command of the officer commanding the artillery, and 
always encamp’d and mess’d with that corps, and were detach’d by him as occasions 
required. 
During this campaign in Brabant, tw r o field pieces, being heavy 3-prs. 
commanded by a lieut. and a detachment of artillery, were for the first 
time attach'd to each regiment, and encamp'd with it. 
1747 Early in this year three companies w T ere raised and added to the 
regiment, now T consisting of thirteen. 
About the same time three regiments of cavalry being reduced to dragoons 
(now the three regiments of dragoon guards) and the troopers having it in 
their option to remain as dragoons or be discharged, many of them chose 
the latter, and above two hundred of these inlisted in the artillery; from 
this period the regiment improved much in appearance and in the size of the 
men, neither of which had been hitherto mtfch attended to, but receiving at 
once so many tall men in the corps, may be said to have given rise to the 
change that has taken place in regard to the height, figure, and strength of 
the men which now compose it. 
The thirteen companies were disposed of during this year as follows. 
Five companies continued stationary in Minorca, at Gibraltar, in Newfound¬ 
land, at Louisbourg, and in Scotland. 
The two companies which were sent last year to serve in the army in 
Brabant were augmented to five, by the junction of two companies from 
Woolwich, and also, of that which was employ'd last year on an expedition 
to the coast of France. 
One company was embark'd on an expedition to the East Indies, commanded 
by Admiral Boscawen, who fail'd on an attempt on Pondecherry. 
Two companies remain'd at Woolwich, from which a detachment com¬ 
manded by a captain-lieut., with three lieuts., and seventy non-commissioned 
officers and men were sent in July, to assist in the deffence of Bergenogo Zoom 
—this detachment lost fourteen men during the seige. 
This year the corps of artillery in Flanders, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel 
Belford and Major Borgard Mitchelson was well train'd in the use of small 
arms; for the first time there were field days and the corps had improved so 
much in the manual exercise and common manoeuvres of the infantry wdiich 
had never been hitherto practis'd in the regiment, that His Eoyal Highness 
the Duke of Cumberland review'd the five companies. Upon this occasion 
the gunners of each company with their field staffs form'd upon the right as 
