| Chatham companies | Ports- mouth companies | Plymouth companies | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | st | 71 | st | 2 | d | 72 | d | 3 | d | 73 | d |
| 4 | th | 74 | th | 5 | th | 75 | th | 6 | th | 76 | th |
| 7 | th | 77 | th | 8 | th | 78 | th | 9 | th | 79 | th |
| 10 | th | 80 | th | 11 | th | 81 | st | 12 | th | 82 | d |
| 13 | th | 83 | d | 14 | th | 84 | th | 15 | th | 85 | th |
| 16 | th | 86 | th | 17 | th | 87 | th | 18 | th | 88 | th |
| 19 | th | 89 | th | 20 | th | 90 | th | 21 | st | 91 | st |
| 22 | d | 92 | d | 23 | d | 93 | d | 24 | th | 94 | th |
| 25 | th | 95 | th | 26 | th | 96 | th | 27 | th | 97 | th |
| 28 | th | 98 | th | 29 | th | 99 | th | 30 | th | 100 | th |
| 31 | st | 101 | st | 32 | d | 102 | d | 33 | d | 103 | d |
| 34 | th | 104 | th | 35 | th | 105 | th | 36 | th | 106 | th |
| 37 | th | 107 | th | 38 | th | 108 | th | 39 | th | 109 | th |
| 40 | th | 110 | th | 41 | st | 111 | th | 42 | d | 112 | th |
| 43 | d | 113 | th | 44 | th | 114 | th | 45 | th | 115 | th |
| 46 | th | 116 | th | 47 | th | 117 | th | 48 | th | 118 | th |
| 49 | th | 119 | th | 50 | th | 120 | th | 51 | st | 121 | st |
| 52 | d | 122 | d | 53 | d | 123 | d | 54 | th | 124 | th |
| 65 | th | 125 | th | 55 | th | 126 | th | 57 | th | 127 | th |
| 68 | th | 128 | th | 56 | th | 129 | th | 58 | th | 130 | th |
| 59 | th | 131 | st | 60 | th | 132 | d | ||||
| 61 | st | 133 | d | 62 | d | 134 | th | ||||
| 63 | d | 135 | th | 64 | th | 136 | th | ||||
| 66 | th | 137 | th | 67 | th | 138 | th | ||||
| 69 | th | 139 | th | 70 | th | 140 | th | ||||
| 40 comp. | 50 comp. | 50 comp. | |||||||||
The siege of St. Jean D’Acre, fabulous as the defence of it may hereafter appear from the extraordinary means which were made use of to reduce the place, and the more extraordinary exertions which succeeded in preserving it, will long be remembered, by the two first rival nations in Europe, and will form a brilliant part of the records of the Turkish empire. When posterity shall read the account, it may doubt the relation in its full extent of wonderful hardihood on both sides; but it will rest satisfied, that the garrison of St. Jean D’Acre would not have resisted the first approach of Bonaparte’s army, had not a handful of British marines stood in each breach his soldiers made, and communicated courage and perseverance to the natives of the place.
It has already been remarked, that the marines are nominally under the command of three general officers, who are admirals, or vice-admirals in the navy, and three colonels belonging to the sea service. The marines themselves never rise beyond the rank of colonel commandant in their own corps, but they may be general officers with respect to the army at large. According to the last printed list there is one colonel commandant, properly so called, with the rank of major general in the army, three colonels commandant and captains, two of whom have the rank of major general in the army; three second colonels commandant and captains, two of whom have the rank of major general in the army; nine lieutenant colonels and captains, six of whom have the rank of colonel in the army, and three that of lieutenant colonel; nine majors and captains, one of whom has the rank of major general in the army, and eight that of lieutenant colonel; making together twenty-five field officers, who are marines properly so called; and six superior officers, who belong to the navy.
To these may be added 116 captains of companies, two of whom have the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army, and one is lieutenant colonel by brevet; 24 captain lieutenants, 256 first lieutenants, 276 second lieutenants, six adjutants, and three quarter masters. The list of those field officers who have been permitted to retire upon full pay, contains one colonel, one lieutenant colonel with the rank of major general, one major with the rank of major by brevet, in the army, 15 captains, 10 with the rank of major by brevet, and one with that of lieutenant colonel by brevet; eight first lieutenants, and three second lieutenants. There are four reduced field officers, two of whom have the rank of major general in the army, and one that of lieutenant colonel; 92 captains, one with the rank of captain in the army, one as field officer in the India company’s service, and nine with the rank of major by brevet; six reduced captain lieutenants, 162 reduced first lieutenants, four of whom have civil employments; 136 second lieutenants, one of whom has a civil employment; and one reduced adjutant. There is one paymaster to the marine establishment, who does not hold any military situation.
The American marine corps, like the British, is a separate establishment; the true system for a military establishment, would be to have the whole force consist only of horse and foot; and all instructed alike in the uses of small arms and artillery; then a selection of artillerists and marines could always be made by skill and not as now by chance.
MARK, a note, character, &c. set upon a thing.
Mark also denotes money of account. The English mark is 13s. 4d.; among the Saxons it was equivalent to 7s. 6d. English money. It is also a money of account in Scotland, and formerly a silver coin, being equal to 13d. and one third English.
Gunpowder Marks. The different sorts of gunpowder are distinguished by the following marks on the heads of the barrels. All gunpowder for service is mixed in proportions according to its strength, so as to bring it as much as possible to a mean and uniform force. This sort of powder is marked with a blue L. G. and the figure ¹⁄₂, or with F. G. and the figure 3, whose mean force is from 150 to 160 of the eprouvette. This is the powder used for practice, for experiments, and for service. The white L. G. or F. G. is a second sort of powder of this quality. It is sometimes stronger, but not so uniform as the blue L. G. It is therefore generally used in filling shells, or such other things as do not require accuracy. The red L. G. F. G. denotes powder entirely made at the king’s mills, with the coal burnt in cylinders, and is used at present only in particular cases, and in comparisons, and to mix with other sorts to bring them to a mean force. The figures 1, 2, or 3, denote that the powder is made from saltpetre obtained from damaged gunpowder; 4, 5, or 6, from saltpetre obtained from the grough. See pages 123, 124, of the Little Bombardier.
Mark to shoot at. A round or square piece of wood, which is generally painted in red and white circles, and has a black spot in the centre called the bull’s eye. Soldiers should be frequently practised in shooting at a mark. At the commencement of the French revolution, particularly in 1792, previous to the battle of Jemmappe, the inhabitants of the different towns exercised themselves several times during the course of the day, in firing at a mark. The national guards did the same. By means of this laudable practice several expert marksmen were formed. We need scarcely add, that the advantages which the service in general derived from their skill, has been too manifest to be denied. It must be evident to every military man that corps of light cavalry, mounted light artillery, and numerous small bodies of marksmen, capable of acting together, or on detached and desultory duties, would answer all the purposes of home defence.
Mark time.—To mark time is to move each leg alternately in quick or ordinary time, without gaining ground. This is frequently practiced when a front file or column has opened too much, in order to afford the rear an opportunity of getting up; and sometimes to let the head of a column disengage itself, or a body of troops file by, &c.