IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING GUNS OR CANNON FOR SEA OR OTHER SERVICE
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I
JAMES MARSHALL, of Chatham, in the County of Kent, Commander in
the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of June, in the
Eighth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Marshall, His especial licence
that J, the said James Marshall, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Marshall, my exors, admiors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOUNTING GUNS OR CANNON FOR SEA OR OTHER SERVICE;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said James
Marshall, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to

page_text: be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said James Marshall, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
to consist in mounting the breech and muzzle of a gun or cannon on
two separate carriages (that is to say), one carriage supporting the
breech and the other the muzzle, and the wheels of one carriage being
so placed as always to be at an angle with the wheels of the other,
whereby greater facility is obtained in working and training the said
guns in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said James
Marshall, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is
to be performed by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing Fig. 1, represents a side view of my said Invention. A,
is the breech carriage, which differs only from the ordinary carriage in
it's shape before, which will be understood sufficiently by the Drawing;
B, is the coin; C, is the trunnion; and D, the asp over the trunnion;
E, is the muzzle carriage, having its wheel or wheels F, in this posi-
tion at right angles with the wheels of the breech carriage: E, is a
mere solid block of wood; G, H, are two plates bolted to it with eyes
at one end r, and t, to receive the hinged bolt J; this bolt passes
through another eye s, which is bolted to the ship's side and steps into
a socket made for it in the water ways K, represents the ship's side,
and I, the water ways, and n, the socket; N, is a strong iron crutch,
with a piece of hard wood i, i, fitted in the middle of it for the muzzle
of the gun to traverse upon; this crutch turns on the central bolt or
pivot P, which is set into a socket made for it in the block or bed of
the muzzle carriage E; the gun is here supposed to be run out in a
straight direction for firing, and if it were fired the recoil would cause
the gun to run in the muzzle, and traversing on the wood i, i, till the
crutch came to the muzzle rim, or beyond it if required, according to

page_text: the lengths of the ropes or breechings. By this arrangement a hand
spike.or tackle applied to the muzzle carriage at X, on either side, will
point the gun
with the greatest nicety and facility, the wheel or wheels
F, being, as will be observed, in the proper position for that move-
ment. Fig. 2, represents the same gun and carriage in the position
it would assume when run in or after a recoil; and the same letters
are used in all the Figures to denote similar parts. V, and W;
show the position of the ropes or breeching. Fig. 3, represents a
perspective view of the muzzle carriage. Y, is one of the braces of the
eye S, and shows how that eye is fastened to the ship's side; Q. is
intended to represent the side of the porthole. It will be observed that
this manner of mounting guns enables the gunner to train them-much
more obliquely and at, a much greater elevation and depressión that the
old mode, and renders them less liable to kick up when fired. Fig. 4,
is a front view of the crutch.
Now whereas I claim as my Invention the mounting of guns or
cannon on two carriages, one fixed to the gun or cannon and support-
ing the breech, and the other fixed to the side of the vessel or other
breast work, and supporting the muzzle, from which it is to be fired in
manner herein-before described; and such my Invention being, to the
best of my knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used
within that part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, His said Dominion of Wales, or
Town of Berwick upon Tweed, nor in any of His said Majesty's
Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Spe-
cification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specifi-
cation doth comply in all respects fully, and without reserve or disguise,
with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Marshall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-
seven
JAMES (L.S.) MARSHALL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of
October, in the year of our Lord 1827, the aforesaid James Marshall
came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifi-
cation aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.