352 
MINUTES OF PKOCEEDXNGS OF 
in a manner easily distinguishable from the first, and bearing a white paper 
label marked 3000. As these two figures 1500-3000 gave but a very- 
imperfect idea of the bursting distances, they were altered in 1863 to those 
which appear in Plate, viz. JJJg and respectively. There is another 
pattern (Fig. 2) of 1863, adapted for the present fuze hole, but otherwise like 
the last. The fuze is always set for the extreme distance, and when the 
distance is less than 2750 metres both openings are uncovered. Thus in 
effect but one length of fuze is used with the common shell for all distances 
up to 3000 yards. The fuzes used with the shrapnel are different, and have 
three or four available lengths. Fig. 3 is the fuze of 1859 with three of the 
original openings left, marked respectively for 800, 1000, and 1200 metres: 
Fig. 4, pattern of 1864, is of a different arrangement: it has four parallel 
channels, calculated for distances of 500-800-1000 and 1200 metres. As 
with common shells, the fuze is always set for the longest distance, and a 
second opening is made for distances under 1200 metres. 
14. The French percussion fuze is represented in Fig. 7, and is much the 
same as our own in principle and mode of action. The striker is suspended 
on two pins, but is also supported by a strip of metal forming a removable 
head exterior to the body, which can be pulled away by means of a small 
projecting end of the strip which will be noticed in the plate. When it is 
desired to render the fuze more sensitive, one of the suspension pins can be 
taken out by getting the blade of a knife under the head. The detonating 
composition is identical with that of the French friction tubes, namely 
Chlorate of potash.. 1 
Sulphuret of antimony. 2 
15. The duties of the detachment are distributed as follows •— 
No. 1 R sponges and rams home, 
„ 2 L loads, uncaps and sets the fuze, 
„ 3 „ points, serves the vent and pricks the cartridge, 
„ 4 „ assists No. 3, primes, and fires, 
„ 5 R is the artificer, delivers ammunition to No. 2, 
„ 6 L assists No. 2. 
We have here the whole duties of a gun detachment distributed among 
six instead of eight men : for the duties of No. 9 in our system (attending 
the ammunition wagon) not being provided for above, that number cannot 
be brought into comparison. This releases eighteen men per battery, and 
as one driver per gun at least is also saved, twenty-four men per battery 
less are required under the French system than under our own, other 
things equal; the difference is probably greater than this, as the reduced 
number of horses and carriages would call for fewer shoeing-smiths and 
other artificers, but it is difficult to make a direct comparison where the 
organizations differ so much. 
16. The following appears to be the usual composition of rifled field 
batteries. 
