CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FIBE-ARMS, AND IN THE METHOD OF RIFLING THE BARRELS OF THE SAME
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Perceval Moses Parsons, of Arthur Street West,
London Bridge, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FIBE-ARMS, AND IN THE METHOD OF RIFLING
THE BARRELS OF THE SAME."
Sealed the 19th September 1861, and dated the 28th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Perceval Moses, Parsons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1861.
I, PERCEVAL MOSES PARSONS, of Arthur Street West, London Bridge, in
the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS. AND IN THE METHOD OF
RIFLING THE BARRELS OF THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My improvements in fire-arms relate to that description which load at the
breech, and consist in certain improved methods of constructing and applying
plugs of a spherical form, and combining parts in connection therewith for
the purpose of opening and closing the breech end of the barrel, and of an
improved method of constructing the parts so as to render the joint at the
breech gas-tight and self-acting.
The use of plugs of a spherical form constitutes an important feature of my
Invention, for which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date March
20th, 1860, and by my present Invention application of this principle is
[Frise 8d.]

page_text: extended, improved, and simplified. In carrying out this part of my Invention
I form a chamber in the breech end of, the barrel or breech piece attached to
it communicating with the interior of the barrel, to which access is obtained
by means of a longitudinal opening or slot made through the metal surround-
ing the same. This chamber is occupied by a plug, the front end of which
terminates in a knob of a spherical form, and rests in a seat provided for it in
the breech, and closes the aperture; the other, or tail end of the plug, abuts
against the rear end of the chamber, and is also of the form of a portion of a
sphere struck from the same centre as the front end, or otherwise so formed
that it may be passed into, and abut against the end of the chamber, while
the front end of the plug turns on its centre in its seat in the manner of a ball
and socket. The chamber, which is by preference made cylindrical, is of a
rather larger diameter than the internal diameter of the barrel, and the
spherical knob on the front end of the plug is made to fit into, and is capable
of sliding and turning on its own centre in the chamber freely, but is confined
within it by being made of a larger diameter than the width of the slot, or
otherwise prevented from passing through it. The tail end of the plug and
the intermediate portion between it and its front end are of rather less width
than the width of the slot, so that this portion of the plug is capable of being
moved freely into and out of the chamber through the slot, but the plug is
prevented from moving out altogether by the spherical knob on its front end.
The rear end of the chamber against which the end of the plug abuts has also
a spherical surface of the same radius as the rear end of the plug, or it may
be flat or otherwise curved, but in such cases the surface should be either
square with, or so nearly square with the same, that when the plug is forced
back by the discharge of the piece, the inclination of the surface (if any) will
not be sufficient to cause it to rise out of its place. The side of the plug
adjoining the slot is formed with, or has a piece attached to it extending
through the slot which forms a lid or cover to the same when the plug is in
position, and carries a button or stud for the purpose of moving the plug into
and out of its place. It is also provided with a projection on the side next
the lock so formed and arranged in connection with the hammer, that when,
at the discharge of the piece the hammer falls on the nipple, its overhanging
portion will cover the projection in such a manner that any tendency of the
plug to rise out of its place would be resisted by the hammer in a direct, or so
nearly a direct line between the point of contact and the pivot of the same
that the force exerted would not tend to raise or turn the hammer on, but
simply to pull it dead against its pivot. When it is required to charge the

page_text: piece, the hammer is brought to the half cock; the rear end of the plug is
then lifted until it is clear of the end of the chamber; it is then slightly raised
and drawn back simultaneously. The front end of the plug in the meantime
turns on its own centre in its seat until the rear end of the plug is released,
when it turns and slides back to the rear end of the chamber, the tail end
of the plug projecting backwards therefrom, in which position it can be
retained by a suitable catch or stop. The cartridge is then introduced through
the slot into the chamber, and pushed forward by the plug into the barrel,
and the plug is finally pressed into its normal position in the chamber, and a
percussion cap being placed on the nipple the piece is ready to be dis-
charged.
Another mode of employing a spherical plug consists in constructing it in
the form of a complete or nearly complete sphere, with an aperture through it
corresponding to the bore of the piece. The plug so made is secured in a suit-
able chamber in the breech or breech end of the barrel by a cap or screw, also
having an opening through it. A stud or pin connected with the plug passes
though an aperture in the side of the chamber, and is attached to an arm or
lever by which the plug is turned in its seat and the aperture opened or closed,
according to the position of the plug, when the plug is so turned that the aper-
ture through it corresponds with the bore of the piece, it is in the position to
allow the charge to pass, which is introduced through the aperture in it and
the cap; the plug is then turned in its seat by means of the arm or lever a
quarter of a turn, by which the aperture through it is brought across or at a
right angle to the bore and the breech closed; the arm or lever which actuates
the plug when this arrangement is applied to rifles or fire-arms to be used by
hand is made of such a form and so arranged in connection with the hammer
of the piece, that it would intercept and prevent it from falling on the nipple,
except when the breech is closed by the plug being turned in the proper
position, and it is further made to cover the groove or channel that it may be
necessary to make in the stock to allow the cartridge to pass. The screw or
cap by which the plug is secured in its place is in some cases provided with a
lever, by the aid of which it may be screwed up against and force the plug into
its seat, and thereby make tight the joint, in which case it is not necessary to
provide any self-acting arrangement for that purpose; but the lever may be
dispensed with, and the cap or screw made a fixture, in which case it will
be desirable to adopt the arrangement herein-after described, or some other
efficacious mode of making the joint gas-tight and self-acting.
For the purpose of making a self-acting gas-tight joint at the junction of

page_text: the plug and the barrel or breech, I employ a ring of any suitable metal or
alloy which is of sufficient strength and yet malleable and ductile, such as
copper, brass, silver, platina, or even very soft pure iron; this ring is made to
fit and jam in between the exterior surface of the plug, made of a spherical,
conical, or other similar form, and the interior of the barrel or breech made of
a cylindrical, conical, or other similar form, or of the two combined, or cylin-
drical with an annular groove turned in it. When the piece is discharged the
force of the explosion wedges the ring between the inclined surfaces of the
barrel and the plug, and makes the joint perfectly gas-tight, and causes the
ring to take the impression of the plug and the interior surface of the barrel
or breech, by which, when the interior of the barrel or breech is made conical
or with the annular groove above described, the ring is retained in position on
the withdrawal of the plug. As the ring becomes worn by the repeated motion
of the plug in loading, or should it become accidentally injured, the defects are
made good at each successive discharge, by the ring being forced anew between
the plug and the barrel or breech, and taking a fresh impression therefrom.
My improvements in rifling the barrels of fire-arms consist in the use of
cutting and polishing tools in the form of circular or elliptic spindles, or frus-
trums or segments of the same, arranged and placed in the rifling mandrel in
a position oblique to the central axis of the barrel, by which means grooves of
various elliptic and circular forms may be produced; and I also employ tools
of the above forms, and arranged in the manner before described, for cutting
grooves, having an increasing spiral, by which combination grooves of similar
form and of varying width are produced. These tools are made of steel, turned
accurately to the requisite form; the cutting tool has angular grooves or ser-
rations turned in it leaving the cutting edges, and the polishing tool is made
smooth and polished, and both are finally hardened. The cutting tool is first
used to cut the grooves to the requisite form and depth, and the polishing tool
is then applied to finish and burnish the surface of the grooves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Perceval Moses Parsons in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th September 1861
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. PERCEVAL
MOSES PARSONS, of Arthur Street West, London Bridge, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. PERCEVAL
MOSES PARSONS, of Arthur Street West, London Bridge, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Perceval Moses Parsons, Her special licence that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Perceval Moses Parsons, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might.
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN THE METHOD OF RIPLING THE BARRELS OF
THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :--
My improvements in fire-arms relate to that description which load at the
breech, and consist in certain improved methods of constructing and applying
plugs of a spherical form, and combining parts in connection therewith, for the
purpose of opening and closing the breech end of the barrel, and of an improved
method of constructing the parts so as to render the joint at the breech gas-
tight and self-acting.
The use of plugs of a spherical form constitutes an important feature of my
Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date March
Twentieth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, and by my present Inven-
tion the application of this principle is extended, improved, and simplified.
Fig. 1 is a plan; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, cross
sections taken respectively on the lines A, A, B, B, and C, C, (Fig. 2) of so
much of a rifle as is sufficient to illustrate this part of my Invention.
same letters refer to the same parts in each Figure.
The
I form a chamber c in the breech end of the barrel or breech-piece b attached

page_text: to the same, communicating with the interior of the barrel e, to which access
is obtained by means of a longitudinal opening or slot s made through the
metal surrounding the chamber c. This chamber is occupied by a plug p,
the front end of which terminates in a knob of a spherical form k, and rests
in a scat provided for it in the breech and closes the aperture; the other or
tail end of the plug t abuts against the rear end of the chamber d, and is also
of the form of a portion of a sphere struck from the same centre as the front
end, or otherwise so formed that it may be passed into and abut against the
end of the chamber d, while the front end or spherical knob k of the plug
turns on its centre in its seat in the manner of a ball and socket. The
chamber c, which is, by preference, made cylindrical, is of a rather larger
diameter than the internal diameter of the barrel at e, and the spherical knob k
on the front end of the plug p is made to fit into and is capable of sliding and
turning freely on its own centre in the chamber c, but is confined within it by
being made of a larger diameter than the width of the slot s, or otherwise
prevented from passing through it; the tail end of the plug t, and the inter-
mediate portion between it and its front end are of rather less width than the
width of the slot s, so that this portion of the plug is capable of being moved
freely into and out of the chamber through the slot, but the plug is prevented
from moving out altogether by the spherical knob k on its front end. The
rear end of the chamber d against which the end of the plug abuts has also a
spherical surface of the same radius as the rear end of the plug, or it may be
of rather larger radius, or flat, or otherwise curved, but in all cases the surface
if flat should be, or if curved (a tangent to it at the centre line) should be
either square with, or so nearly square with, the same that when the plug is
forced back by the discharge of the piece the inclination of the surface, if any,
will not be sufficient to cause it to rise out of its place. The top side of the
plug is formed with or has a piece g attached to it extending partly through
the slot, and forming a lid or cover to the same when the plug is in position;
this carries a button or stud i which is grasped by the thumb and finger for
the purpose of moving the plug into and out of its place; it is also provided
with a projection on the side next the lock, or is otherwise so formed and
arranged in connection with the hammer h that when at the discharge of the
piece the hammer falls on the nipple, its overhanging portion m will cover
the lid of the plug g, or the projection attached to it, in such a manner that any
tendency of the plug to rise out of its place would be resisted by the hammer
in a direct or so nearly a direct line between the point of contact and the
pivot of the same, that the force exerted would not tend to raise or turn the

page_text: hammer on but simply to pull it dead against its pivot x. By this arrange-
ment all danger of the plug being raised out of its place in case of a leakage
of gas at the joint is prevented; should a leakage occur sufficient to overcome
the spring of the hammer and raise the cover and tail end of the plug, an
ample passage for the escape of the gas would be opened by a very slight rise
of the plug, and by inspecting the Drawing it will be seen that the more the
plug rises the greater will be the resistance, as the more clearly will it be in a
direct line from the axis of the hammer, and that before the plug could rise
entirely out of its place, the line of resistance would be in so nearly a direct
line from the axis of the hammer that the force exerted would not then turn
the hammer on its axis, but pull dead against it. It will be easily understood.
that by making the part or projection on the lid which comes in contact with
the overhanging part of the hammer, of the requisite form, the force exerted
to raise the plug might be made to pull direct against the hammer immediately
the plug began to rise. but I prefer making it as shewn so as to give an
opportunity for any leakage of gas to escape before the plug is finally restrained;
and as, from the spherical form of the front end of the plug it fits its seat as
accurately in one position as another, a slight rise of its tail end is quite
immaterial so long as it is not raised sufficiently to release it and allow it to
move out of its place. In the rifle shewn in the Drawing the parts are so
arranged that it is only necessary to make the part which is covered by the
overhanging part of the hammer m, slightly projecting above the rounded
part of the cover sufficiently to bring it square, as seen by the section through
that part, Fig. 5, but when the parts are differently arranged, and the position
of the nipple, and consequently of the hammer, is further from the centre line
of the barrel, a piece projecting sideway may be added in the manner shewn
and described in the Specification of my Patent dated March Twentieth, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
When it is required to charge the piece the hammer is brought to the
half-cock, as shewn by the dotted lines in the position No. 2, Figure 2, the
rear end of the plug t is then lifted until it is clear of the end of the chamber d,
it is then slightly raised, twisted to the right, and drawn back simultaneously;
the front end of the plug k in the meantime turns on its own centre in its seat
until its rear end t is released, when it turns and slides back to the rear end
of the chamber, the tail end of the plug projecting backwards therefrom in the
position shewn by the dotted lines (z, z, Fig. 2,) where it is retained by a
small projection n formed on its side, which drops into a notch made to receive
it in the end of the breech-piece; the cartridge is then introduced through the

page_text: slots into the chamber c, and pushed forward by the plug p into the barrel e,
and the plug p is finally pressed into its normal position in the chamber c, and
a percussion cap being placed on the nipple the piece is ready to be discharged.
To enable the plug p to be taken out for the purpose of cleaning, or otherwise,
a small recess is made in any convenient part of the metal surrounding the
slot, and a suitable notch of a circular form is also made on one side of the
hinder part of the spherical knob k of the plug, as shewn in cross section at
Fig. 6; by bringing the plug opposite the recess in a vertical position it can
be removed by a simple circular movement, while there is no danger of its
coming out of its place by accident, as it can only be removed by being
brought to one particular position, and as a further security against it acci-
dentally coming out by placing the recess in the position shewn at v, Fig. 1,
it will be necessary first to bring the hammer to the half-cock to lift the plug,
and then to let the hammer down on the nipple to allow the plug to be
removed.
Another mode of employing a spherical plug consists in constructing it in
the form of a complete or nearly complete sphere, with an aperture through it
corresponding to the bore of the piece. Fig. 7 is a plan, partly in section,
Fig. 8, a longitudinal section, Fig. 9, a side elevation, and Figs. 10, 11,
and 12, cross sections, taken respectively at the points A, A, B, B, and C, C,
(Figs. 7, 8, and 9,) of so much of a rifle as is necessary to illustrate this
arrangement; the same letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures.
The plug p made with a suitable opening through it is fitted into a chamber
formed in the cap c, which is screwed on to the breech of the barrel b, and has
also an opening through its rear end corresponding to the opening in the
plug p; a stud or pin is fitted into a recess in the side of the plug, so that
when it is turned it will turn the plug with it. Fig. 13 is a side view of the
plug and the pin or stud removed out of its place. i is the pin or stud, and e
the recess made in the side of the plug p to receive it. In putting the
parts together the stud or pin i would be first passed into its place from
the interior of the chamber c, the plug then dropped in, and the cap finally
screwed on to the barrel; an arm or lever is attached to the projecting
part of the pin or stud, made square to receive it, by which the plug
is turned in its seat, and the aperture at the breech of the barrel thereby
opened or closed according to the position of the plug; when the plug is
so turned that the aperture through it corresponds with the bore of the
barrel, which is the reverse of that shewn in the Drawing, it is in the
right position to allow the charge to pass, and the arm or lever I will ther

page_text: be in the position shewn by the dotted lines (z, z, Fig. 9).
The charge
is then introduced through the aperture in the cap and the plug, and the
plug is then turned in its seat by means of the arm or lever 1 a quarter
of a turn, by which the plug p is brought into the position shewn in the
Drawing, viz., with the aperture through it across or at a right angle to the
bore, by which the breech is closed. The arm or lever which actuates
the plug, when this arrangement is applied to rifles or fire-arms to be used
by hand, is made of such a form, and so arranged in connection with the
hammer of the piece, that it would intercept and prevent it from falling on
the nipple, except when the breech is closed by the plug being turned in the
proper position. This is accomplished by making a small projection / on the
arm or lever, which would come in contact with the hammer when at full
cock, as shewn by the dotted lines in the position No. 3 (Fig. 8), if the arm
or lever were lifted, and thus prevent the plug being turned sufficiently to open
the joint at the breech, when the hammer is in the only position at which the
piece could be discharged, viz., at full cock, although when the hammer is
down on the nipple it will offer no obstruction to the arm or lever / being
turned the requisite quarter of a turn to bring the plug into the right position.
for loading. The arm or lever is further made of a suitable form to cover
the groove or channel g, made in the stock to allow the cartridge to pass, and
it is retained in its position by the small stud a, upon which it is sprung when
brought into the position to close the breech and cover the groove.
In some
cases it may be convenient to place the axis of the plug in a vertical instead
of the horizontal position shewn; the lever I would then have a horizontal
motion when actuated to turn the plug, and would slide over the groove or
channel made in the stock for the passage of the cartridge, and it can then be
made of such a form that a portion of it would be interposed between the
hammer and the nipple, or below the projecting part of the hammer, so as to
prevent its falling on the nipple except when the arm or lever is in its normal
position with the breech properly closed; in this arrangement it would be
necessary to bring the hammer to the half-cock before loading.
Fig. 14 is a horizontal section, Fig. 15, a side elevation, and Fig. 16, a
cross section at A, A, (Fig. 14), of this arrangement applied to a cannon.
The plug p is in this case fitted into a chamber formed in the breech of the
piece b, and secured therein by the cap c, screwed into the breech. The plug
is actuated by the lever 1, provided with a short axis a, which passes through
a hole in the side of the chamber, and fits into a square or other suitable
recess made in the plug. The lever is kept in its place by a small projection n

page_text: 1
on its axis, which works in the annular recess e, made around the opening
through which it passes, the projection n being covered by the flange f,
enclosing the annular space. When the lever is in any position within the
range of the quarter revolution it is required to move in opening or closing
the breech, viz., from the position shewn by the full lines to that indicated
by the dotted lines at z, z, (Fig. 15 and 16), the flange keeps it in its
place, but the lever can be removed by turning it beyond the quarter turn
until the projection n corresponds with the gap g, cut out of the flange f.
enclosing the annular ring, and through which the projection n can pass with
facility; in like manner the lever is introduced into its place. This position
of the lever is shewn by the dotted lines at W, W, (Fig. 15). The breech.
is opened or closed as before by giving the plug p a quarter of a turn by
means of the lever 1. The screw or cap c, by which the plug is secured in its
place, may in some cases be provided with a lever, by the aid of which it may
be screwed up against and force the plug into its seat at each time of loading,
and thereby make tight the joint. The dotted lines shew a lever applied for
this purpose, and when it is used it is not necessary to provide any self-acting
arrangement to make the joint tight; but if the lever is not used, and the
cap or screw made a fixture, it would be desirable to adopt the arrangement
herein-after described, or some other efficacious mode of making the joint gas
tight and self-acting. The set screw s is provided for the purpose of pre-
serving the position of the working axis of the plug, and to add to its ease and
freedom in working.
For the purpose of making a self-acting gas-tight joint at the junction of
the plug and the barrel or breech I employ a ring of any suitable metal
or alloy which is of sufficient strength and yet malleable and ductile, such as
copper, brass, silver, platina. or even very soft pure iron; this ring is made to
fit and jam in between the exterior surface of the plug made of a spherical,
conical, or other similar form, and the interior of the barrel or breech made
of a cylindrical, conical, or other similar form, or of the two combined, or
cylindrical, with an annular groove turned in it. This ring is shewn at r in
the sections, Figs. 2, 7, 8, 14, 17 and 18. In Fig. 2 the portion of the
breech which receives the ring is made cylindrical; in Figs. 7, 8, and 14
it is a cylinder combined with a small portion of a cone; in Fig. 17 it is a
cylinder with an annular groove, and in Fig. 18 it is a portion of a cone
alone. When the piece is discharged the force of the explosion drives
the ring up against the plug and wedges it between the inclined surface
of the plug and the barrel, and makes the joint perfectly gas-tight; the

page_text: ring also is by the force of the explosion moulded to the form of the plug,
and the interior surface of the barrel or breech, by which when the interior
of the barrel or breech is made conical, as in Fig. 18, or partly conical, as
in Figs. 7, 8, and 14, or with the annular groove, as in Fig. 17, the ring
is retained in position on the withdrawal of the plug; when the cylinder
alone is used the ring is retained in position by the adhesion or friction
between the two surfaces, which in some cases is sufficient. As the ring
becomes worn by the repeated motion of the plug in loading, or should it
become accidentally injured, the defects are made good at each successive
discharge by the ring being forced anew between the plug and the barrel or
breech, and taking a fresh impression therefrom.
My improvements in rifling the barrels of fire-arms consist in the use
of cutting and polishing tools in the form of circular, or elliptic spindles, or
frustrums, or segments of the same, arranged and placed in the rifling
mandrel, in a position oblique to the central axis of the barrel, by which
means grooves of various elliptic and circular forms may be produced, and
I also employ tools of the above forms and arranged in the manner before
described for cutting grooves having an increasing spiral by which combination
grooves of similar form and of varying width are produced. These tools
are made of steel turned accurately to the requisite form; the cutting tool
has angular grooves or serrations turned in it, leaving the cutting edges of
the form before described, and the polishing tool is made smooth and polished.
and both are finally hardened, and the polishing tool is again polished if
necessary. a, Fig. 19, is the cutting tool, and b, part of the mandrel, and a,
Fig. 20, the polishing tool, and b, part of the mandrel; Fig. 21 is a cross
section at A, A, (Figs. 19 and 20). a is the cross section of both cutting
and polishing tools, and b the mandrel. The cutting tool is first used to
cut the grooves to the requisite form and depth, and the polishing tool then
applied to finish and burnish the surface of the grooves. To save the work
on the cutting tool the grooves may in the first instance be cut nearly to
the finished size by an ordinary single-toothed cutting tool made as nearly
as possible to the requisite form, and in some cases the cutting tool herein-
before described may be dispensed with, and a single-toothed cutting tool
employed in its stead; this must have its cutting portion accurately turned
to the exact diameter of the largest part of the polishing tool, and after it has
been employed to cut the grooves the burnishing tool is passed through to
finish and to burnish the surface of the grooves as before.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner

page_text: plugs of a spherical form, and combining parts in connection therewith,
for the purpose of opening and closing the breech of breech-loading fire-
1
arms.
Secondly, the methods herein-before described of making a gas-tight joint
at the breech of breech-loading fire-arms.
Thirdly, the methods herein-before described of rifling the barrels of fire-
arms.
In witness whereof, I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
THOS. J. HANDFORD.
P. M. PARSONS. (L.S.)