French squadron coming up prevented Capt. Barton taking possession of his prize, which was La Bravoure, of forty-two guns and 293 men, ten of whom and a lieutenant were killed, and the captain and twentyfour seamen wounded. In this conflict the Concord sustained such considerable damage in sails and rigging, having also had five men killed and twenty-four wounded, that Capt. Barton deemed it most proper to put into Plymouth, as also to communicate the intelligence of the enemy's fleet being at sea.

In the following autumn Capt. Barton acted for a short period as Governor of Newfoundland, and arrived at Portsmouth on Christmasday, after a short passage of eleven days from St. John's.

Capt. Barton, upon the renewal of hostilities with Buonaparte, was in 1803 appointed to superintend the equipment of the Sea Fencibles in the Isle of Wight, a new description of force, to act against the enemy should they attempt the then projected invasion of our shores.

About July in the following year Capt. Barton was appointed to command the Raisonable, of sixty-four guns, and was subsequently removed into the Goliath, seventy-four, in which, in Aug. 1805, he captured a French brig and corvette of sixteen and eighteen guns each, on board of which vessels were upwards of seventy English seamen who had been previously wrecked in the Blanche frigate, commanded by Capt. Sir Thomas Lavie. Capt. Barton about the latter end of this year left the Goliath, and in 1807 was appointed to the York, a new seventy-four which had been recently launched, and accompanied the joint expedition under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and MajorGen. Beresford to take possession of the Island of Madeira. This having been accomplished, the York proceeded to the Leeward Islands, and arrived in time to assist at the surrender of Martinique to the forces under Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane and Lieut.-Gen. Beckwith. Capt. Barton, while the operations were carrying on, had the command of a detachment of seamen on shore, under the orders of Commodore (now Vice-Admiral Sir George) Cockburn.

Capt. Barton was subsequently present at the capture of the Isles des Saintes and of the d'Hautpoult, a French seventy-four gun ship. The York continued in the West Indies until 1809, in the summer of which year he returned to England, when Capt. Barton joined the expedition to Walcheren, and afterwards the Mediterranean fleet. The 12th Aug. 1812, a promotion of flag officers taking place, Capt. Barton became a Rear-Admiral, and on the 12th Aug. 1819 a ViceAdmiral, but never hoisted his flag. He had for some years resided at Exeter, and died there 16th December last.

MEMOIR OF

LIEUT.-GEN. SIR GABRIEL MARTINDELL, K.C.B.

. THIS distinguished officer, after a service of more than half a century under the East India Company, died on the 2nd of January 1831. Sir Gabriel served nearly five years in the Select Picket, without a commission, and was, on the 4th of August 1776, appointed an Ensign on the Bengal Establishment of the East India Company's service; on the 21st July 1778, he was promoted to Lieutenant; the 1st August 1793, to the rank of Captain; to that of Major the 1st November 1797; of Lieutenant-Colonel, 21st February 1801; of Colonel, 25th July 1810; Major-General, 4th June 1813; and Lieutenant-General 27th May 1825.

With many other Cadets of the year 1772, this officer had the honour to be called early into the field, and in 1774 he bore a distinguished part in the Rohilla battle of St. George. During several years of his service as Lieutenant he acted as adjutant to the corps of Native Infantry to which he belonged; and on his succeeding to the command of a battalion, as Lieutenant-Colonel, his corps was considered one of the best in the service.

The province of Bundlecund, and contiguous territories, continued for some years in a state of great anarchy and confusion, consequent to the Mahratta war of 1803, 4 and 5; and this officer, then Lieutenant-Colonel, was twice selected for the important command of the troops in that province, under circumstances of much embarrassment and difficulty. Hostilities and harrassing warfare prevailed at all seasons of the year, so long as the malcontents held possession of many of the strong holds in that country, and it required both judgment and ability in the commanding officer to oppose them with success, and to bring that valuable territory to a complete settlement, and which was eventually accomplished.

In 1809 the strong fortress of Adjygush surrendered to a detachment of troops under Lieut.-Colonel Martindell's command, on which occasion the Governor-General expressed the sentiments of approbation and applause with which his Lordship in Council contemplated the professional skill and ability displayed by this officer in regulating the operations. His Lordship further recorded his public thanks generally, "to the officers and men employed during the late campaign in Bundlecund, and especially to Lieut.-Colonel Martindell, whose judgment and military skill, seconded by the courage and exertions of the gallant detachment which he commanded, happily accomplished an undertaking, not less arduous in its nature than important in its effects to the interest of the public service."

In 1812 the important fortress of Cellenger, the capital or headquarters of the province, surrendered to a large force under Colonel Martindell, after an attempt to carry it by storm had been repelled by the garrison. In communicating this event to the Directors of the East India Company, the Governor-General in Council observed,

A distinguished corps, consisting of a body of Gentlemen Cadets, who were formed into a company and carried arms until vacancies occurred for their receiving commissions. This Picket was always posted on the right of the advanced guard of the army in the field.

+ The detachment consisted of three regiments of cavalry, His Majesty's 53rd and 54th regiments of sepoys, and field-train of artillery.

380

LIEUT.-GEN. SIR GABRIEL MARTINDELL, K.C.B.

"We participate most cordially in the applause bestowed by his Excellency the Commander-in-chief, and by Colonel Martindell, on the exemplary, gallant, and persevering intrepidity manifested by the officers and men engaged in the assault: an assault which, although it failed in the immediate attainment of its object, can scarce be deemed unsuccessful, since to the terror inspired by it must be ascribed the subsequent surrender of this almost impregnable fortress, on terms, and in a manner which have maintained the credit of our arms, without any sacrifice of dignity, or any concessions of material importance to our interest. We concur also entirely in the praise bestowed by the Commander-in-chief, on the distinguished zeal, judgment, and exertions of Colonel Martindell in conducting the arrangements and operations of the late service in Bundlecund."

This officer was one of the East India Company's gallant army, first selected for participating in the honours of the Bath, of which distinguished order he was appointed a Knight Commander. He subsequently, during the Nepaul war,* held a distinguished command in the mountains; and more recently was occupied in restoring tranquillity to the province of Cuttack, disturbed by the incursions of a numerous banditti, connected with the predatory system of the Pindarries.

In April 1820, Sir Gabriel Martindell received the command of this first division of the field army, and the general command of the field army, which appointment ceased in June 1822. The estimation in which the character of this gallant soldier was held by his brother officers of the Indian army, cannot be better shown than by the following address from the officers of the corps, and of the irregular troops which served under him:

"SIR,-Your active and unremitting attention to the ease and comfort, and discipline of the troops, and your arrangements, by which this detachment was kept in a continual state of service, has tended to secure the confidence we had under your command. The accurate and extensive knowledge you have acquired of the position, and relative situation of places, and of the various and complicated interests, parties, and combinations existing in this Province, qualify you, in an eminent degree, for a command where all the local knowledge, together with a great share of energy and decision, are at present required for opposing, defeating, and counteracting them; we regret your resignation of this command as a loss to the public service, as the impartial, considerate manner in which you have exercised your authority, and your willingness to promote our private wishes, as far as you could consistently with your public duty and responsibility, have justly entitled you to our private esteem, as well as our public respect. In testimony of which, we beg you will permit us to present you with a sword and service of plate, of the value of one thousand guineas, as a token of those sentiments we have now the pleasure to express. Your reputation as an officer, which no doubt occasioned the flattering notice you received in being selected for the command of this detachment, at a time that required an officer of energy, firmness, and decision, has, we presume to think, been confirmed by the able manner in which you have, during so long and important a period, conducted so large and respectable a charge. We, &c."

The Western army, which stormed Katunga, was commanded by Major-Gen. Sir R. R. Gillespie, of the King's army. That General directed it to be stormed at all points at the same moment; unfortunately, some of the divisions did not come up in time, and the others lost many men, and could make no impression. The gallant Gillespie, observing the disastrous state of things, flew to the head of the attacking column, but not being vigorously seconded, he failed and lost his life in the attempt. Major-Gen. Martindell succeeded to the command of this army; another unsuccessful attempt was made to storm the place; the brave defenders, however, had suffered so much that they retired from the fort.

PERCUSSION SHELLS, STEAMERS OF WAR, HORIZONTAL FIRE OF SHELLS FROM SHIPPING.

A SKETCH of practice with percussion shells is given in our Number for January, (page 112.) The principle of the invention is not entered on; it may, however, be inferred, that by the application of some description of percussion tube, the bursting of the shell is effected on its striking the object of fire. It is not imagined that an opinion can be hazarded, from the report given in the Journal, of the comparative or superlative merits of this description of shells; but if the aim of the percussion part of the invention be to ignite the bursting powder at the moment the projectile shall impinge on the object, (a desideratum, as applying to shipping, of doubtful tendency,) it has been attained, more than twenty years since, by very simple means, and such as cannot involve any increased liability to accident, which condition is difficult to imagine as attaching to the use of shells ignited by percussion. The particulars of this plan are not given, for although it is simple in the extreme, yet we are not aware that it is generally known, and certainly we have never seen any notice of it in any foreign work on artillery, though we have seen many treating in detail of matters of much less importance.

The idea now proposed of making projectiles of other forms than spherical, with a view to increase the weight, and thereby the momentum and range, has for many years been admitted in theory, (since the velocities communicated to shot of different weights are nearly in the inverse ratio of the square roots of their weights; and, consequently, the momentum of the shot, being in the compound ratio of the masses and velocities, is increased in the ratio of the square root of the weight of the shot;) in practice, however, after various experiments, the spherical form has been preferred, and that from the supposed greater uniformity of the resistance of the air to a sphere than to a projectile of any other shape. The French have frequently made experiments with shot of an elongated form, some composed of a cylinder terminated at either end by a hemisphere; others have been made rather like a pear, one end being larger than the other; some again have been composed of a hemisphere added to a cylinder, and terminated by a concave surface, with a view to receive a part of the charge of powder, it having been imagined that the effect of the elastic fluid would be augmented by this means. The spherical form has notwithstanding invariably prevailed: and in our own service the use of the oblong carcass has been discontinued from the uncertainty of its range.

In the absence of comparative practice, it may be admissible to doubt of the superior accuracy of this new projectile, and the impression gains strength from the detail of their effect, as given by our correspondent. At 500 yards, scarcely a shot from a twenty-four-pounder ought to miss an unloaded boat of fifteen tons, and, on this occasion, we are told that "several shots were fired before it was hit." These experiments are not asserted to have been conducted by artillery officers, and the letter would appear to contain intrinsic evidence that it is not written by one, or the expedient of filling the shell" with gunpowder and port-fire in equal parts," in order to fill an enemy s vessel with fire and smoke instantaneously, would scarcely have been recommended, when Valenciennes, and various other compositions are so much better calculated to produce that effect. Some French officers after the battle of the Nile, and during the blockade of Alexandria, are reported to have asserted, when dining on board Sir Benjamin Hallowell's ship, that the French Admiral's ship L'Orient had been set on fire by balls of unextinguishable matter from the Swiftsure; and it appears that such missiles were used from that ship, having been obtained from the French prize the Spartiate. They consisted of an iron skeleton of a sphere filled with an incendiary composition, and crusted over with a substance, giving them the appearance of perfect shells.

The subject which the writer of the letter adverted to proposes to discuss, "The fearful state of declension into which the naval and artillery departments in Great Britain has fallen since the peace of 1815, while our neighbours have been indefatigable in improving theirs," is, indeed, replete with interest, and may furnish a text for very ample commentaries on various topics of the highest importance, but on none more than on the innovations in naval warfare, which the application of steam, as the propelling power in navigation, must induce; and on the inevitable changes which will arise from the introduction of artillery with which to project shells horizontally from shipping.

There can be no doubt but that Great Britain, with her commanding navy and her extensive commerce, calculated to create and to nourish a vigorous and skilful race of seamen, ought, from self-evident policy, to endeavour to stifle in its birth any application of artillery which may, in any degree, operate to neutralize the superiority arising from an excess of potential force; and she is equally interested in attempting to retard (were it feasible) an application of steam to purposes of naval warfare. Such motive may possibly have influenced the Admiralty, and that committee, which a Correspondent of this Journal terms "the Antiquated Botheration," in receiving with chilling indifference each attempt which individuals may at different times have made, unless, indeed, emanating from one of their infallible number. In support of this remark, the condemnation passed on Capt. Marshall's Gun Carriages may be noticed; but in defiance of the decision this improvement has forced itself into the service, rather, probably, from the attention paid to it by the French, than from the merits which it is asserted by competent judges to possess.

It has for some time ceased to be a consideration whether, by our example, our future foes may be induced to adopt the recent novelties in the mode of propelling and arming ships of war. The French (our natural enemies, notwithstanding the anarchical and infidel feeling of the low and turbulent agitators of the present times), have taken the lead in the adoption of this new application of artillery, which is calculated to produce astonishing effects, and may create as radical a change in the system of naval warfare, as the theorists and revolutionists of the day are bent on producing in our hitherto envied constitution. The French are equally solicitous to cultivate the application of steam to vessels of war, for the alledged reason, that the change must operate to the advantage of France, because it will render less necessary the experience, practical knowledge, and confident daring of British seamen. It has been well observed by Colonel Paixhans, that the great difficulty of France in contending against England, arises far less from inability to construct ships, than from the impossibility, in a population little given to maritime pursuits, of finding a sufficient number of experienced seamen. It must be admitted that steam, to a great extent, and with the exception of a few men to attend to the steering of the ship, places a thorough seaman and an absolute landsman on an equality; hence, the numerous armies of France must be available for many purposes of naval warfare, and particularly should any successful chieftain of that restless and unsettled nation attempt to realise the dreams of Napoleon in his camp at Boulogne in 1805. Are we then to follow up that policy which has recently fawned and flattered France at the expense of our old and natural allies, to the prejudice of our colonists and commercial men, and above all, to the injury of our national character, by yielding to the initiative in these naval innovations; or, ought we not rather to profit by the facilities and advantages which the superiority of our manufactures at present yield to improve and perfect them? There is no ground for any apprehension as to the result, where the forces of France and England shall meet in hostile array on any element, where the power employed is at all on an equality; but the "hucksterian doctrine" of the age, wrought up by finance agitators, has reduced the effective strength of our army, after providing in the same