6 and 12-pdr. field guns; 12-pdr. mountain howitzer; 12, 24 and 32-pdr. field howitzers; stone and 24-pdr. Coehorn mortars.
11. What is a battery?
This term is applied to one or more pieces, or to the place where they are served.
12. What regulate the dimensions of cannon?
The tenacity and elasticity of the metals employed in their fabrication. Their thickness must be proportioned to the effect developed by the powder; and the length is determined by experiment, and should not exceed 24 calibres. The exterior surface of a cannon is composed of several surfaces, more or less inclined to the axis of the bore, the forms of which have been determined by experiment.
13. Why is a piece made stronger near the breech than towards the muzzle?
Because the elastic force of the inflamed gunpowder is there greatest, constantly diminishing in intensity as the space increases in which it acts.
14. What is the length of a piece?
The distance from the rear of the base-ring to the face of the piece.
12]