SINGLE AND DOUBLE CANNON, CARRONADES, OR ORDNANCE MUSQUETS, AND ALL OTHER KINDS OF FIRE-ARMS, ON A NEW PRINCIPLE, AND A NEW METHOD OF CHARGING FOR LOADING THE SAME, AND OF FIXING OR PLACING BAYONETS ON FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1808

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE RICHARDS, of Truro, in the County of Cornwall, Architect,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George' the Third
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the
Thirtieth day of July, in the forty-seventh year of His reign, give.and
grant under me, the said George Richards, my exors, adņiors, and
assigns, His especial, license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said George Richards, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
inake, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "SINGLE AND DOUBLE CANNON,
CARRONADES, OR ORDNANCE MUSQUETS, AND ALL OTHER KINDS OF FIRE-ARMS,
ON A NEW PRINCIPLE, AND A NEW METHOD OF CHARGING FOR LOADING THE
SAME, AND OF FIXING OR PLACING BAYONETS ON FIRE-ARMS;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said
George Richards, by an instrument in writing under iny hand and seal,
to cause a particular description of the. nature of my said, Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Hi

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar months after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the saine, rela-
tion being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said George Richards, do hereby declare that iny said Invention is
particularly described and ascertained in manner following, that is
to say:
I make cannon artillery ordnance of all sorts and of all calibers,
from the sinallest size swivel or cannon to the largest that now is in
use, either of single or double bores, to be made either for the use of
the land or sea service, with wrought or hammered iron, either of
twisted scalps, bars, or plates of wrought iron welded or hammered
together, or of plain scalps, bars, or plates of wrought iron welded or
hammered together, to be made with common plain bores, or to be
rifled, and to be charged or loaded either at the breech or muzzle.
If at the breech, a plug of iron sufficiently strong is to be properly
screwed into the breech or end of the cannon; to be turned in and out
with a handle, screw key, or lever; on this plug being taken out. the
shot or ball is first introduced into the chamber or breech of the cannon,
after which the proper quantity or charge of gunpowder in a cartridge
is placed also in the chamber or breech of the cannon.close to the shot;
the plug is to be then screwed in, and the gun to be pointed and dis-
charged. The plug may also be made to move in and out at the
breech, by its being fitted in a very snug and-perfect manuer to the
chamber or breech of the cannon, and by having a strong tongue on
each side, these tongues to slide in grooves, sunk very exact in the
breech part. Two other grooves are to be sunk crossways, into which
the tongues are to be turned by moving round the plug with a handle
or lever when it is in its proper position. These two methods of load-
ing at the breech are intended for rifle cannon only, as P, Drawing
marked A. The charging or loading of all cannon in the breech, either
with single or double borcs, whether rifled or plain, made with wrought
iron, cast iron, brass, or any other fit metal, is effected by hanging in
the breech part, with centers or trunnions, to turn in brass, or any other
fit metal, firmly secured in strong.cheeks, connected and substantially
secured to the fore part of the cannon; the breech part is then to be

page_text: fitted quite close and sound in its joint or fitment, and is to be made
plain, or to be inserted in the fore part as a spigot and faucet, or any
other firm and secure way. That being effected it is firmly secured at
the time of exploding the charge with a strong bolt or bolts, screw
or screws, worm or worms, lever or levers, tumbler or sweeps, wedge
or wedges, or any other firm and secure way, and which is further
explained by the Drawings marked B, and C, hercunto annexed. I
also make all kind of cast iron, brass, or any other metal cannon
double, that is, with two bores marked D, in the Drawings annexed,
cast with solid breeches; all the foregoing cannon may be discharged
by locks or otherwise, and to have such carriages as may be most suit-
able for the different kinds of cannon. I also make all kinds of balls
or shots for rifle cannon of cast iron, coated with pure tin and iron,
with a proper quantity of lead, to suit the chambers of the different
pieces, according to their caliber, and to give way to the pressure of the
rifles. I also make all kinds of fire-arms, from the smallest pistol to
the largest blunderbuss, either single or double barrel, with plain or
rifle barrels, to charge or load at the breech; the barrel to be in two
parts, and the breech to be hung with a joint, connected to a strong
iron rib, which is to be substantially secured to the fore part of the
gun barrel, and this to be well or closely fitted or jointed to the fore
part of the barrel, and to be either a plain joint or as a spigot and
faucet, or any other firm and secure way. The breech after the piece is
discharged is to be thrown up by a spiral or any other spring for load-
ing; a spring safe bolt is connected to the iron rib so as to secure the
breech part, by means of a ketch or knotched plate, secured to the under
part of the breech; it may also be secured or moved, if with a spigot
and faucet joint, by a tumbler and lever to act against the breech, or
with a round tube to slide over the meeting of the joint, or any other
firm and secure way marked E, and F, in the Drawing. I can alter
any old fire-arms now in use, by adding a moving breech to them on
the foregoing principle. I also make safeguard locks for all kinds of
fire-arms that bolt themselves on the piece, being placed to stand erect
by the pressure of its own weight acting on or against a stud connected
with a rod that runs through the but of the stock, and acts on the
movement in the lock, and by a communication with the same move-

page_text: ment from a neat stud outside the plate of the lock, the safe guard can
also be moved forward or drawn back by the hand. The use of this
Invention is, 'to prevent those fatal accidents that so often happen by
carelessness or otherwise, by interposing a thin plate between the touch
hole of the piece and the priming in the pan. The whole of the move-
ment will be clearly understood from the Drawing marked G. I make
the same movement to bolt the tumbler of the cock. I also make a
revolving or pendulum trigger for double-barrel guns, and double-
barrel pistols, which Invention prevents the possibility of more than one
barrel being let off at a time, and also gives an opportunity to discharge
either barrel first; the operation of action on the scers of the locks is
by pushing and drawing the trigger, which is conjointly connected by a
cheque lever. The whole of its parts will be clearly explained by
inspecting the Drawing marked H. I also make bayonets to slide
down the inside of the piece or barrel when unfixed, with a spring
introduced to allow them to slip on over the stop or sight at the top of
the piece, which spring is also to act as a stop to prevent their being
unfixed improperly; in time of action or exercise they may be unfixed
by raising the spring, and their points turned into the stock; in time
of marching, to be made straight instead of a turn at their tops. These
kind of bayonets are intended for those pieces that charge at the breech
only, as no long ramrod will be wanted. I also make belts of leather
or any proper material, to contain small tubes made of thin copper, tin
plate, or any other proper metal, for containing cartridges for service,
those tubes to be of sufficient number to hold or contain the proper
quantity, according to the army regulations, and are to be properly
secured into the said belt, which belt is to be connected to a military
waistcoat for that purpose, and is to have a flap to fall over the top of
the said belt, which is to be lined with oil case or skin, or any other fit-
and proper material, to keep out the water; these flaps, to be open at
the front, back, or side.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Richards, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eight.
GEO. RICHARDS: (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of Novem-
her, in the year of our Lord 1808, the aforesaid George Richards came
before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowleged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification afore-
said was stampt according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Tnrolled the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eight.