PRINTED FOR BLACK, KINGSBURY, PARBURY, & ALLEN,
BOOKSELLERS TO THE HONOURABLE EAST-INDIA COMPANY,

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1821.

Printed by

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THE

ASIATIC JOURNAL

FOR

JANUARY, 1821.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS,

&c. &c. &c.

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

"PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY."
(Originally communicated to the Editor of the Asiatic Journal.)

SIR: the remarks of Miles in a
former volume of your Journal are
in a considerable measure well-
founded yet they argue at the
same time some deficiency of know-
ledge in these apparently rude im-
plements of modern warfare. Ar-
tillery must at present always ap-
pear, to those not entirely familiar
with its principles, of a powerful
and destructive nature, but not
easily reducible to accurate ones
grounded upon science. From its
difficult mobility, it is frequently
considered as an incumbrance to
rapid military operations, rather
than, what it really is, or might be
made to be, the very power which
alone could ensure victory, almost
in every case, where it is promptly
and judiciously brought into ac-
tion. Thus, in a dubious, and
rather unfavourable aspect, do
they appear to be viewed by the
judicious Miles; he has evidently
observed the decisive effect of ar-
tillery, but the mode at present
Asiatic Journ.-No. 61.

practised in moving it with an army he appears to consider, with many others, almost to counterbalance its power; if not to think a light army, at least, almost more efficient without its aid.

The method, however, by which Miles proposes to remedy these perceptible defects are not perhaps easily subjectible to practice, it being known from reiterated, and now unequivocal experiments, as well as practice upon actual service, that, ponderous as field guncarriages are, yet, on the present principles of construction, they are barely sufficient to resist the re-action exerted upon them by heavy firing. It is also well known, both in theory and practice, that the force acting upon the carriage when a gun is discharged is equal to the whole momentum of the shot; and that this is found by multiplying the velocity into its weight: thus, if a 12-pounder ball quitted the muzzle of the piece with a velocity VOL. XI.

B