Gibraltar in the British service. Subsequently (March 18, 1797), 18 of the Gibraltar's 18 long 9-pounders upon the quarterdeck and forecastle were substituted for the same number of 24-pounder carronades, making the whole of her 80 guns, except two, of one caliber. The San-Ildefonso, as formerly shown, * also mounted long 24s on her first and second decks. But the most important exception is, that the T�m�raire and her two sister ships, Dreadnought and Neptune, mounted long 18s upon their second and third decks. � By the time, however, that these three 98s had been 10 years in the service, it was found necessary to change their third-deck 18s for 12s.

An equalization of caliber in three species of guns has been obtained by the invention of a ship gun, meeting, in length and weight, about midway between the carronade and the long gun of the same caliber: Thus:

Of this medium ship-gun, three varieties exist, the Gover, the Congreve, and the Blomefield, named after their respective inventors. The muzzle of the Congreve resembles that of the carronade ; and the other two guns, in appearance, differ very slightly from each other. M. Dupin claims the priority of invention on behalf of his countrymen Texier de Norbec, Admiral Th�venard, and M. Bourd�.�

In December, 1806, several English two-decked line-of-battle ships were armed throughout with guns of one caliber, 24-pounders long, 24-pounders of Gover, and 24-pounder carronades ; whereby the ships, being old and weak, had much less weight to carry, with only a slight diminution in their broadside force. The greater part, if not the whole, of the ships had their poops cut off ; and some of the 74s were rigged with 64-gun ships' masts and yards. The difference in the two modes of arming the 74s will best appear by a short table.

Had there been a medium 32-pounder, as well as a medium

*  See vol. iii. p. 92.

�  Ibid.

�  Voyage dans la Grande-Bretagne, Force Navale, tome ii., p. 101.

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