Note. It being found at the siege of Quebec, that the quantity of powder requisite for throwing the carcasses into the town, always destroyed them, the method of filling the interval between the powder and carcass with turf was adopted; and found to preserve the carcass, and to produce every desired effect.

CARRONADES.—Their Weight and Dimensions.

Nature.  Diameter 
of Bores.		 Length in Weight. Proportion
betw’n the Shot
 and Carronade. 
 Ft.   In.   Calib.   cwt.   qr.   lb. 
   68    Prs. 8.05 5 2  7.702 36 — — 59 to 1
”   4 0  5.962 29 — —  
42 ” 6.84 4 3½ 7.518 22 1 — 58 to 1
32 ” 6.35 4 0½ 7.679 17 — 14 62 to 1
24 ” 5.68 3 7½ 7.656 13 — — 56 to 1
3 0  6.336 11 2 25  
18 ” 5.16 3 3  7.587  9 — — 56 to 1
2 4  5.447  8 1 25  
12 ” 4.52 2 2  5.778  5 3 10 56 to 1

N. B. Carronades have not so much windage as guns.
See Windage.

Ranges with Carronades, 1798. The charge is ¹/₁₂ the weight of the shot and with one shot and one wad. The line of fire from 6 to 9 feet above the level of the water.

Nature. 68 42 32 24 18 12
  Charge.    5lb 8oz   3lb 8oz   2lb 10oz      2lb      1lb 8oz   1lb 10oz 
  Yards          
P. Blank  450 400 330 300 270 230
1 Degree  650 600 560 500 470 400
2 ”     890 860 830 780 730 690
3 ”    1000  980 900 870 800 740
4 ”    1100  1020  970 920 870 810
5 ”    1180  1170  1087  1050  1000  870

Note.—The highest charge for carronades is ⅛ the weight of the shot; the lowest ¹/₁₆.

Ranges with 8 inch shells, from 68 Pr. carronades.

Shells
 Weight 		  Charge.   Flight.   Elevation.  First
 graze.		  Extreme 
range.
lbs. oz.
43  11		 3 lbs 1½ P. B.  302 1365
3  ”   — 5 Deg. 1140  
4  ”   1½ 1 ”    358 1843
”  ”   5 5 ”   1137 1250
”  ”   ” 11½ ”     1767  

CARRIAGE.—Weight of Field Carriages at present in use.

Horse Artillery Carriages.  cwts.   qrs.   lbs.   cwts.   qrs.   lbs. 
12 Prs. gun and carriage complete for — — — 45 0 14
service, with two men, and their
their appointments on the limber,
and 16 rounds of ammunition.
Ammunition waggon for do.complete, — — — 33 3 0
with two men on the limber and
1 spare  wheel, 2 spare shafts,
78 rounds of ammunition
6 Prs. equipped as above, with 42 rounds — — — 34 1 21
Ammunition waggon as above, 108 rounds — — — 39 0 21
5½ Inch howitzer, equipped as above, — — — 35 3 0
with 20 rounds
Ammunition waggon for do. as above, — — — 39 2 0
with 52 rounds
Forge waggon, complete for travelling — — — 19 2 14
Large tilted baggage waggon, empty — — — 18 3 0
Equipage to be carried — — — 12 0 0
12 Prs. Med. gun, carriage, without boxes 16 1 21 42 — 7
Limber to do. 7 2 14
Gun 18 — —
12 Pr. light gun 12 — — 36 2 21
Carriage complete 12 3 7
Limber, with empty boxes 12 3 14
6 Prs. Desaguliers 12 — — 34 1 13
Carriage complete 11 — 14
Limber, to do. empty boxes 11 — 27
6 Prs. light battalion gun 6 — — 24 1 21
Carriage without boxes, iron axletrees 9 2 —
Limber, with empty boxes 8 3 21
5½ Inch howitzer, light 4 3 7 24 — 14
Carriage, without boxes 10 — 7
Limber, with empty boxes 9 1 —
24 Prs. platform travelling carriage 22 3 — 84 2 16
Standing carriage for do. iron trucks,
  and tackles of the carriage		 13 3 16
Iron gun 48 — —
Ball cartridge waggon, Duke of Richmond’s
  pattern, with spare pole and swingle trees		 16 1 17 36 1 17
Charge of musquet ammunition 20 — —
Common pattern ammunition waggon, altered   16 2 — 36 2 —
Charge of ammunition 20 — —
New infantry ammunition cart 9 1 14 21 1 14
Charge of ammunition 12 — —
Common sling cart, complete — — — 17 1 14
Common truck carriage — — — 12 2 21
Common hand cart — — — 4 1 —
Forge waggon, complete — — — 13 2 14

Dimensions of certain parts of carriages, the knowledge of which may prevent many mistakes in arranging the different pieces for disembarkation, or in other similar situations.

Axletrees.—Most of the field carriages are now made with iron axletrees; the dimensions of which are as follows:

Iron
Axletrees.		 Diameter of
the arm.		 Length of arm.
At the
 Shoulder. 		 At the
 Point. 		 Box, or
 Nave part. 		  Washer 
part.		  Total length 
to linchpin.
  Inch. Inch. Inch. Inch. Inch.
6 Pr. Light          
3 Pr. Heavy
5½ Inch Howitzer
Ammuni. Waggon 
Ball cartridge do. 2¾ 1¾ 13 ⅝ 13⅝
whether horse          
artillery or the
park, whether
limber or carriage  
Light 12 Pounder 3¼ 2¼ 16 ¾ 16¾
and limber
Medium 12 Pr. 3½ 2½ 16 ¾ 16¾
Limber to do. 2¾ 2 13 ⅝ 13⅝

Wood
Axletrees.		 Carriage. Limber.
Di. of arm. Length
of
Nave.		 Di. of arm. Length
of
Nave.
At
Shoulder.		 At
Point.		 At
Shoulder.		 At
Point.
  Inch. Inch. Inch. Inch. Inch. Inch.
24 Prs. Heavy 7 4.9 18 6 3.3 16
12 Prs. Med. 6 4 16 6 4 12
6 Prs. Des’rs. 5½ 3½ 13½ 5½ 3½ 13½
6 Prs. Light 5 3 13 5 3 13
3 Prs. Des’rs. 2½ 1¼   2½ 1¼  
3 Prs. Light            
Howitzer, 8 In. 6½   17 5½   15
  ”    ,  5½ In. 5½   13 4¼   11½
  ”    ,  4⅖ In. 4½   12 4   10
     
  Fore Hind
Ammunition 5 2.9 14 5 2.9 13
waggon, with
folding sides
Close bodied 5 3.3 14 5 2.9 14
ammunition waggon  

Diameter of the Wheels of the Field Carriages at present in Use:

    Diameter.
All the horse artillery carriages, limbers, 5 feet.
and waggons; the heavy 6 Prs. and long
3 Prs. and their limbers; the carriage
of a 6 Pr. battalion gun, and a light
5½ inch howitzer; the hind wheels of
a common ammunition waggon
Limber to light 6 Pr. and 5½ howitzer, 4 ft. 8 in.
Med. 12 Pr.—limber, 4 ft. 6 in.—carriage, 4 ft. 8 in.
Sling cart 5 ft. 8 in.
Fore wheels of an ammunition waggon, 4 feet.
Pontoon carriage Fore 3 feet.
Hind 5 ft. 6 in.
8 Inch Howitzer Limber 4 feet.
Carriage 5 feet.
Ball Ammunition Cart 5 feet.
24 Prs. Platform Carriage Fore 4 feet.
Hind 4 ft. 2 in.

Dimensions and Weight of Standing Gun Carriages.

Nature. 32 24 18 12 9 6
   Ft.  in.  Ft.  in.  Ft.  in.  Ft.  in.  Ft.  in.  Ft.  in. 
Axletrees, length 4 9 4 7 4 3 3 9 3 6½ 3 4
Side pieces, length 6 4 6 0 5 9 5 6 5 3 5 0
Whole heighth to
 trunnion beds		 2 9 2 7 2 6 2 3 2 1 2 0
Weight of carriage, ct. qr. ct. qr. ct. qr. ct. qr. ct. qr. ct. qr.
bed & coins 9 0 8 0 7 0 6 0 3 3 2 3

Carriages on a march. See Marching.

For wood of which carriages are made, see the word Wood.

CARTRIDGES for guns.

Of  Paper. Weight
of one
Dozen.		  Length.  Tonnage.
Nᵒ. packed in
¾ Ton Vat.
  Pounders.  lbs.   oz.   dr.   Ft.   In.  Number.
42 ” 3 0 0 2 4 1000
32 ” 3 0 0 2 4 1100
24 ” 3 0 0 2 4 1400
18 ” 2 14 0 2 4 1500
12 ” 2 4 0 2 4 1600
 9 ” 2 4 0 2 4 1800
 6 ” 1 5 0 2 0 2000
 4 ” 1 1 0 1 7 2200
 3 ” 1 1 0 1 7 2200
  Of  Flannel.             
42 and 32 2 2 0 2 3 The tonnage
 24 Heavy 1 12 0 1 10 of flannel
Medium 1 6 0 1 5 cartridges is
Light 1 1 8 1 0 ⅕ more than
18 —— 1 6 0 2 3 that of paper.
 12 Heavy 1 3 0 1 6  
Medium 0 11 0 1 2
Light 0 8 0 0 10
 9 —— 0 10 0 1 4
 6 Heavy 0 14 0 1 1
Medium —— ——
Light 0 5 0 0 9½
 3 —— 0 6 0 0 8
13 Inch Mortar 1 2 8 1 6
10 ”” 0 10 8 1 1½
 8 ”” 0 7 0 1 0
 5½ ”” 0 4 0 0 9
 4⅖ ”” 0 3 0 0 7
 8 In. Howitzer 0 10 8 1 1½
 5½ ”” 0 4 8 0 9½
 4⅖ ”” 0 4 0 0 9½

Cartridges for small arms.

Nature.  (A)   (B)  Nᵒ. contained
 in one Barrel. 		 Weight of one
Barrel filled		 1 Sheet
 of Paper
makes
Whole. Half. Whole. Half.
   drms   Nᵒ.  Nᵒ. Nᵒ.  Ct.   qr.   lb.   qr.   lb.  Nᵒ.
Wall pieces 10  6 1400  500 2 2 19 3 24  6
Musquet  6 10 2100 1000 1 3 10 3 24 12
Carbine  4 10 2853 1500 1 3  7 3 26 16
Do. pistol  3 10 4400 1500 1 3 17 3 21 24
Com. pistol  3 10   2000   3 11 24
7 Bar. guns 1½ 14   1000    
        in kegs      

Musquet Cartridges, by different powers in Europe.

  Weight of
Powder Cartridges,
complete
    oz.     dr.     gr.     oz.     dr.     gr.  
English. 0 6 0 1 9 11 
Hessian. 0 7 10  1 7 2
Austrian. 0 6 13  1 6 4
Dutch. 0 10  10½ 1 12  4
French. 0 7 4½ 1 6 0

CASE SHOT. See Shot.

CHAMBERS.—In 1787 and 1789 experiments were made at Woolwich with an 8 inch mortar, with four shifting chambers, to ascertain which form gives the longest range.

The chambers were all of the same capacity, viz. 63.7 cubic inches, and contained two pounds of powder. Their forms were:

1st. Common conical chamber with the circular bottom.

2d. The same reversed.

3d. The cylindric chamber with circular bottom.

4th. The spheric chamber.

The ranges were the medium of 6 rounds; from them it appears, that when the spheric chamber is filled with powder, it has the advantage in point of range; but when smaller charges are used, its ranges are found to be shorter than those of other forms. The conical (No. 1.) chamber of the present establishment gives the longest range under other circumstances.

CHARGES.

Charges for Field Guns.

    lbs.
12 Prs. Medium and Heavy for Round Shot 4  
” ” ” ” ” ” Case ” 3½
12 Prs. Light     ” Round ” 3  
” ” ”     ” Case ” 3  
6 Prs. Desaguliers   ” Round ” 2¼
” ” ”   ” Case ” 2  
6 Prs. Medium     ” Round ” 2  
” ” ”     ” Case ”  
6 Prs. Light     ” Round ” 1½
” ” ”     ” Case ” 1¼
3 Prs. Heavy     ” Round ” 1  
” ” ”     ” Case ”  
3 Prs. Light     ” Round ” 12 oz.

The charge for battering guns is ⅓ the weight of the round shot, for round shot, and ¼ of it for case shot.

The charge for carronades is usually ¹/₁₂ the weight of the shot. The highest is ⅛, and the lowest ¹/₁₆.

By the experiments made at Woolwich in March 1801, it is recommended, that when cylinder powder is used on service, the charges of field ordnance with round shot, shall be reduced to the usual quantities for case shot. The same experiments recommend, that the thickness or length of the wood bottom be varied, in order to change the position of the shot, and thereby save the bore; and that the paper cap which is usually thrown away on service, shall be put over the shot before it is introduced into the piece.

For charges for small arms see the word Cartridges.

Charges of French Guns in French Weights.

    lbs.      
24 Prs.   8     Siege    
16 Prs. 5½
12 Prs. 4   Field ¼ less for  
Case Shot.
 8 Prs. 2½
 4 Prs. 1½

CHEVAUX DE FRIZE.—The body or beam of a chevaux de frize is generally made 9 feet long, and 6 inches square, and weighs 41 lbs. The spears are 33 in number, weighing 2 lb. each, are 5 feet long, and 1¼ inches square. They are placed 9½ inches asunder.

COMPOSITION.—For the composition of fuzes, portfires, tubes, carcasses, see those words.

Composition for Kitt.     For Fire Balls, 1794.
  lbs.   lbs. oz.
Rosin 9 Rosin 5 8
Pitch 6 Sulphur 3 0
Beeswax 6 Allum powder 1 8
Tallow 1 Starch, ” 0 8
  Saltpetre 4 6
  Mealed powder   8 0
  Linseed oil ¼ pint.
  Oil of spike 1 pint.

Bengal Lights.
 
First Composition.
  lbs. oz.
Saltpetre 7 0
Sulphur 1 12
Red orpiment 0 8
 
Second Composition.
  lbs. oz.
Saltpetre 2 4
Sulphur 0 8
Antimony 0 4
Orpiment 0 1½
 
Light Balls.
Nitre  40 parts
Sulphur 15
Antimony 3
Pitch 3

This composition to be carefully fused, and cast into the shape of balls, which when cold will be sufficiently hard to be fired from a small mortar.

 
Composition for Suffocating Pots.
Sulphur 6 parts
Nitre 5