Tuesday 17 July 2007

Appendix to article in Nova Acta Eruditorum.........

Offical Acadamy Artist has made this drawing of the vessel undergoing trials off the coast of Tradgardland.

2 comments:

  1. The Presipapal Academy of Sciences of Monte-Cristo is currently working on a project using Denis Papin's discoveries to move a ground vehicle (code name: C's Fardier).
    Something like "Sadler's Flying Artillery" described later.
    Now, you replace the horses by steam power, the driver may sit far lower allowing a 360° arc of fire, you can replace the twin-linked swivels with a single mouth-loaded howitzer or breech-loaded gun...
    Once the prototype tested and validated, the design and patent are hopefully to be sold to the higher bidder - the Monte-Cristan conception of neutrality.
    -----
    in "Histoire Generale des Arm�es, Robert Laffont, 1966,
    vol. III p.84" is reproduced a coloured etching by Thomas Rowlandson depicting "Sadler's Flying Artillery in action". Ca. 1798 according to the uniforms. Despite all the references available as keywords, I googled in vain (I'm far from an expert at it!) so I'll have to try & describe it in by unsufficient english. Visualize a high-perched 2-axles coach, open-topped (as if convertible with collapsed/ put down roof/ top). On some kind of wide central pylon, a set of twin-linked swivel guns. The barrels are drastically shortened (so the guns look like micro-caronades), so when
    tiped up vertically they can easily be mouth-loaded just as a musket.
    Arc of fire ca. 300° [360° if you can manage with a headless driver].
    Described as "intended to cover th movements of cavalry": surely
    inefficient to support a charge, and actually depicted covering a
    retreat, the driver frantically whipping the team to keep abreast with the horsemen. (Somehow reminds me of Ambrose Bierce's definition of dragoons, in the line of: "Mounted infantry soldiers...attack on foot and fly on horseback"

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