Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/484

 degrees of elevation fixed to them, and by having the elevation of the first shot which takes place made known to the captains of the guns, all the battery would he immediately brought to the same degree of elevation, the quoins being dissected to correspond with the elevation as to distance. This is supposing the vessel to be beyond point-blank; otherwise it merely requires the first degree of elevation, and every shot would take effect. This method of obtaining the range is the most simple and expeditious, as four guns laid at different degrees of elevation, agreeably to the tangent sight, would immediately give the required distance and elevation. Ships engaging at anchor, at point-blank, every shot would take effect; whilst by the method now in use four shot out of five would pass above the mark fired at – even the firing would cause the ship to roll and alter the elevation, from the sights not being combined with the elevation in one focus. * * * * I am, my Lord, &c.

(Signed)“.”

“To the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Melville, Admiralty.”

In reply to this letter, Captain Tayler was merely informed, that his “plans had been laid before the Board.”

“Devizes, Feb. 13th, 1822.

“My Lords, – Having lately read a publication by Sir Howard Douglas, on naval gunnery, containing a new invention of sights for ships’ guns, bearing date 1817, I beg to call your Lordships’ attention to a similar invention forwarded by me to the Board in the beginning of 1816.

“Presuming from the silence observed that it was not deemed prudent to bring into general practice any important improvements made during peace, I refrained from troubling your Lordships with other plans connected therewith; but as Sir Howard Douglas’s publication is under the sanction of the First Lord of the Admiralty, and an order given for its general adoption, I beg to attach this invention to the naval service, having transmitted it to the Admiralty two years previous to Sir Howard Douglas having even thought of it, as he distinctly states, in order to account for its not being laid before the Board till 1822.

“If it is correct that a committee of naval officers are to be appointed to arrange a new system of naval gunnery, I wish to know if any practical observations, made during the war, will be deemed useful for their information; as no doubt, if numerous plans were sent in by officers who have made it their study, a most useful and improved work on naval gunnery might be compiled.

“The sights I had the honor of transmitting, I gave to Captain Parish in the year 1812, and he states that, after witnessing the surprising precision with which the captains of his guns fired at a cask, he called a boy who had just Joined, and directed him to point a gun and fire when the sights were in one focus with the object to be fired at. The boy levelled the gun, and shot away the flag-staff fixed on the cask, although