Hi
I don't know if you can help me or not, but I'm very interested in a post you made back in Dec 2009, to a question about Cannon Flintlocks. In it you mentioned that you had a copy of a manuscript by a RN rear admiral, dated 1843, regarding gunnery practice on HMS EXCELLENT. It contained a sketch of a lock, including its internal parts, which you very kindly attached later to the forum.
I would love to know where you found the manuscript and if you still have a copy of it and have a clearer scan of the sketch of internal parts.
I've recently developed an interest in Cannon Locks after finding out that my Gr-G-G-Grandfather, who had joined the Royal Navy in 1825, attended HMS Excellent in 1835, 1837 and then in 1840, when he became a Gun Captain and saw action in Syria in 1840 at St Jean D'Acre and Sidon.
Kind regards
Mike Jones