CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
A beautifully executed ENGLISH MANUSCRIPT entitled, ____________ NOTES ON ARTILLERY. ______________ R. M. A. ______________ E. C. MACNAGHTEN. Circa 1855 Half morocco binding with title embossed in gold to front board, front inner hinge reinforced, text in very good clean condition. A quarto volume, it measures approximately 21cm (8¼") x 17.5cm (7") x 4cm (1½"). Neatly written ink on paper on both sides, pp. [5], [5, blank], 438 numbered pages (of which some 80 pages are blank), with divisional titles, a few small text illustrations, tables within text, and 7 full-page illustrations. A neatly written mid-nineteenth century manuscript notebook, dated 1855 on spine. The manuscript is an officer's notebook from the Royal Marine Artillery (RMA). The RMA was formed as a separate unit in 1804 to man the artillery in bomb vessels. The author was Edmund Charles McNaghten, his name is gilt embossed to the front cover and he has signed the manuscript E. C. MacNaghton RMA' in pencil above several chaper headings. McNaghten entered the RMA as a QC on 10 May 1853, and was promoted Lieutenant on 1 Aug 55. He was killed in action at Te Arei, Taranaki, New Zealand, on 17 Mar 1861, twelve months to the day after he fired the first shot in the Taranaki Wars, while observing the enemy position from a point near the end of Pratt's Long Sap. Contents in brief, 6 page, unnumbered Index. ______________________________________ History of Artillery ~ Ancient Artillery ~ General description of Ordnance at present used in the service ~ Practical Gunnery ~ General rules for Breaching ~ Penetration into Masonry ~ Siege equipment ~ Remarks on Projectiles ~ Applications of artillery ~ Method of laying the gun ~ Position of artillery in the Field ~ Organisation of artillery in time of war ~ General construction of guns ~ General construction of Brass guns ~ General construction of Iron guns ~ General construction Monk's guns ~ Foundry ~ Remarks on casting iron Ordnance ~ To make the mould ~ The metal ~ Changing the reverberatory Furnace ~ Description of a reverberatory Furnace ~ On the various sorts of Cast Iron ~ Casting Shot ~ Casting Shells ~ Notes on the Bronze and Brass alloys ~ On the Properties of cast iron and bronze as Guns ~ Manufacture of Bronze Ordnance ~ Making the mould ~ Extracting the mould ~ Drying the mould ~ Preparing the pit for the cast ~ The Furnace ~ The Cast ~ Boring Department ~ Lathe for turning the Deadhead ~ Centering Machine ~ Second Lathe ~ Trunnioning Machine ~ Planing Machine ~ Drilling and Bouching Machine ~ Boring and Turning Lathe ~ Shaping Machine ~ Proof Department ~ Instrumental Proof ~ Examination of shot and Shell ~ Fire Proof ~ Searcher ~ Water Proof ~ Sun Proof ~ Cutting the Visual Lines on Bronze Guns ~ Carriage Department ~ Military Carraiges etc ~ Construction of Field Carriages ~ Spare Carriages ~ Construction of Wheels ~ Manufacture of axle trees ~ Garrison Carriages ~ Naval Carriages ~ Siege ~ Miller's siege Howitzer Carriage ~ Description of the usual kinds of wheels and axles in the service ~ Iron Guns and Howitzers ~ Remarks on the various woods used in the Carriage Department ~ Laboratory ~ Notes on Gunpowder ~ Strength of composition ~ Saltpetre ~ Sulphur ~ Charcoal ~ Mixing the ingredients ~ Incorporating ~ Pressing ~ Granulating ~ Dusting and Glazing ~ Drying ~ Barreling ~ Proof of Gunpowder ~ Proof of Merchants Powder ~ Extraction of Saaltpetre from damaged composition ~ Pulverising Saltpetre ~ Kitt Composition ~ Luten Composition ~ Signal Rockets ~ Portfires ~ fuses ~ tubes ~ Percussion Caps ~ Carcases ~ Congreve Rockets ~ Boxer's Suspended Light ~ examination of Laboratory Stores. _________________________ A beautifully executed manuscript, with careful and detailed descriptions. Written in a neat copper plate hand, with tables and illustrations in ink.
|
|
|