As the students of the artillery, by the present regulations of their education in the regiments, have not sufficient opportunity to learn the service of the laboratory perfectly, particular attention must be paid to this work in the school.
The students of the engineer corps also take part in it, in the second cœtus, not to become perfect proficients in the different operations, but so as to gain a general knowledge of ammunition, matches, and compositions, and the duties of the laboratory.
All the students of the first, and the artillery students of the second cœtus are therefore to be occupied by their teachers for twelve afternoons in the laboratory.
For the superintendence, so necessary in these works, and for variety of practice, the fireworkers employed as assistant teachers in the school, and others from the proof department of the artillery, and also five or six artillery officers of the third cœtus, are to be present at this practice, so that each of these students is present twice or thrice on the average.
The work embraces, first, the preparation of ammunition for the artillery practice, &c.
But as this would not suffice for the complete instruction of such a large number of students, it must receive an extension calculated for this purpose, and embrace not only the separate preparations, but also a large quantity of ammunition, which, as not required for the school, is therefore sent to the depót.
The following work is to be preferred:—
Pounding of saltpetre, grinding meal powder, pounding sulphur and charcoal, boiling paste, making mastic, composition, quick-match, fuses, tubes, port-fires, carcass composition, touchpaper, case and grape shot, loading shells for bursting, discharging empty shells in which a fuse only has been driven; carcasses, fire-balls, and light balls; infantry, cavalry, buck-shot, and percussion cartridges; ball, canister, howitzer, and paper cartridges. Fanal, signal rockets, pitch compounds, powder bags, and stink-pots. The teacher is to make a careful distribution of the students, (allowing for such as have missed any days by illness,) to be satisfied that each artillerist has made every article in the laboratory, if possible, or at least has carefully witnessed its preparation.
IV. EXERCISES IN THE THIRD CŒTUS.
All the exercises of this cœtus take place during the period of the theoretical course.