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formed; and as the distance of the firstparallel from the second is generally300 toises, the batteries must be onthis line, or beyond it, nearer the town.

The construction of batteries belongsto the officers of the royal artillery, whogenerally consult with the engineer thathas the direction of the siege, as wellabout their situation as about the num-ber of their guns and mortars. Theymust be parallel to the works of thetom which they are to batter. It iscustomary to place the mortar-batteriesand gun-batteries side by side, and inthe same line, to the end that they maybatter the same parts. The use of bothis to demolish the enemy’s works, todismount their guns, to penetrate intotheir powder magazines, and to drivethe besieged from their works and de-fences; as also to ruin and destroy theprincipal buildings, by setting fire tothe town; and to fatigue and distressthe inhabitants in such a manner, thatthey shall press the garrison to surren-der.

To sally at a siege, is to go privatelyout of a besieged town, fall suddenlyupon the besiegers, and destroy part oftneir works, spike their cannon, and doevery other possible damage.

A sally, a secret movement which ismade out of a besieged town or place,by a chosen body of troops, for the pur-pose of destroying an enemy’s out-works, &c. Sallies are seldom madewhen the garrison is weak; for althoughthey molest the enemy, and keep himon the alert, yet the chance of losingmen renders it prudent to keep withinthe works.

Saps in a siege, are trenches madennder cover from the fire of the place,behind a mantlet or stuffed gabion: theynte generally ten or twelve feet broad.Ihis work differs from the trenches, inas much as the latter are made uncover-“• The sap | las a ] so j ess breadth; but''hen it is as wide as the trench, itears the same name. There are va-rious sorts of saps, viz.

Single sap, ; s that which is made onn.e S1 de only, or, which is the same

'n’ u 0n ^ one P ara P et -

trouble sap, has a parapet on each

i e, and is carried on-wherever its twoare seen from the place.

*V ln S sa P> is that in which the be-

siegers do not give themselves thetrouble of filling the gabions withearth: it is made where the workmenare not much exposed, and in order toaccelerate the approaches.

Sap-faggots, are a kind of fascines,only three feet long, and about sixinches in diameter.

Saucissons, are another species of fas-cines, from 12 to 19 feet long, andfrom 8 to 10 inches in diameter, andare used in making batteries, and re-pairing the breaches.

Sortie. See Sai.ly.

Tail, or rear of the trench, (Queue;tie la tranchce, Fr.J is the first work thebesiegers make when they open thetrenches.

Tambour, is a kind of traverse, at theupper end of the trench, or openingmade in the glacis to communicate withthe arrows. This work hinders the be-siegers from being masters of the arrow,or discovering the inside of the place ofarms belonging to the covert-way.

Traverse, in a siege, a kind of re-trenchment which is made in the dryditch, to defend the passage over it.

Trenches, are passages or turningsdug in the earth, in order to approacha place without being seen from its de-fences.

Wool-packs, used in a siege, differ fromsand-bags, in this only, that they aremuch larger, and, instead of earth, theyare filled with wool. They tare used inmaking lodgments in places where thereis but little earth, and for other similarpurposes. They are about five feethigh, and 15 inches in diameter.

Rear of an attack, is the place wherethe attack begins.

Front, or head of an attack, that partnext to the place.

Mantlets, are wooden fences, rollingupon wheels, of two feet diameter; thebody of the axle-tree is about four orfive inches square, and four or five feetlong; to which is fixed a pole of eightor ten feet long, by two spars; uponthe axle-tree is fixed a wooden parapet,three feet high, made of 3-inch planks,and four feet long, joined with dowel-pins, and two cross-bars: this parapetleans somewhat towards the pole, andis supported by a brace, one end ofwhich is fixed to the pole, and theother to the upper part of the parapet.

Mantlets