CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN TUCKER, of Hammersmith, in the County of Middlesex, Brewer,
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 Ninth day of September, in the
tenth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Tucker, His especial licence
that I, the said John Tucker, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Tucker, my executors,
administrators, 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 lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF CANNON;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
obliging me, the said John Tucker, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly 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 be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of

page_text: Chancery within six calen armonths next and immediately after the
date of the said recited Letters Patents 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 John Tucker, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
to consist in a cannon which may be loaded from the breech, the bore
being made completely through the cannon from end to end, with a
revolving conical plug passing through the bore, something like the
plug of a common beer cock, which opens or closes the bore as occasion
may require; and in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the 1
said John Tucker, 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.
M
1
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of a cannon constructed on my
improved plan. A, is the muzzle; B, is the breech;. I, is the touch-
hole; C, C, is a conical plug bored to correspond with the bore of the
cannon, supported by the flange F, and made with a mortice or square
key hole Ġ, into which the key K fits, and by which key the plug is 2
turned round, as will be explained hereafter; the cannon is here repre-
sented as loaded, but not prepared for firing.;.
iring; H is the shot, and J the
cartridge. The ball is here shewn without any wadding or covering,
but it should be wrapped in cloth, or else a wadding put first into the
cannon, to detain the ball in its place. Figure 2, is a separate view 2
of the plug C, C, wit. its flange F. Figure 8, is the ramrod,; S, is
the end for placing the shot; and R, the end for placing, the cartridge.
Figure 4, is a separate view of the key; either, M, or N, may be used
to turn the plug and "L, is a catch, which, after being put into the
mortice the longest way of the square, is turned a quarter round, when 8
I catches under a lip or lug in the mortice, by which the plug may
be drawn out for the purpose of cleaning, cooling, examining, or
repair-
ing it, if necessary. Figure 5, is a plan of the cannon, by which it will
be seen that the flange Facts, against the two pins or stops V, V,
0.13
.

page_text: under the flanged heads of which it passes, and is thereby kept from
rising when the cannon is fired. The plug is here supposed to be
turned in the position for firing, with the bore of the plug at right
angles with the bore of the cannon, and with the touch-hole exposed.
When it is required to lift out the plug it must be turned with the key
till the notches r, r, come opposite their respective pins V, V, when the
plug may be removed. The dotted plan of the flange in this Figure
shews its position when the plug is in the position for loading, when it
will be observed it again passes under the flanged heads of the pins
V, V, and the touch-hole is covered. ✗; is the breeching.
Having now described my different improvements, it only remains
for me to shew the manner of loading and firing the cannon herein-
before described, and which is as follows:-Having applied one or other
of the ends M, N, of the key K, to the mortice G, turn the plug till
the flange comes to the position shewn at Figure 1, and also by the
dotted lines at Figure 5; then put the ball in at the breech, and with
the end S of the ramród push the ball from the breech as far as the
ramrod will reach, which it will be seen is something short of the
place where the ball is intended to be placed, so that the cartridge may
push it the remainder of the distance, and thus prevent any space being
left between the ball and the cartridge. Then proceed in the same
way with the cartridge, using the end R of the ramrod; and it is
scarcely necessary to add that this end of the ramrod must be so
adjusted as to place the charge in the proper position as regards the
plug and touch-hole. This being done, turn the plug till the flange F
comes to the position shewn at Figures, when a solid part of the plug
will be opposed to the charge, which (the touch-hole being primed) may
be fired off in the usual manner; it will be well to grease the plug, in
order to facilitate its turning, and prevent dirt from collecting round
it from repeated discharges of the cannon.
Now whereas I claim as my improvements the plug C, C, as applied
to a cannon, and the parts connected with the application and use
thereof. And such my improvements being to the best of my know-
ledge and belief entirely new, and never before used within that part of
His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called

page_text: England, His said Dominion of Wales,, or Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same,
and that I do verily believe this my said Specification 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; where-
fore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Tucker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, One thousand