The following examples will shew in what manner the proportion between the weights of any two given countries may be ascertained. EXAMPLES. To WET. In a sense of good fellowship and hilarity, and of course in a military one, to take a cheerful glass, or, speaking popularly, to "moisten the clay." To WET a Commission. It has always It is required to reduce 100 kilogram- been customary in the army, for every ofmes of France into pounds of Amster.ficer, when he obtains a commission, gets dam. promoted, or exchanged, to afford some mark and acknowlegement to the corps he joins. The kilogramme of France weighing 15446 grains, and the pound of Amsterdam 7625, according to the table prefixed, state the following equation: 100 kilogrammes 1 kilogramme=15446 grains 7625 grains I pound Result 202,57 pounds. Reduce 100 pounds of Amsterdam into kilogrammes of France. 100 pounds=x I pound = 7625 grains 15446 grains WERE. The preterite of I am. As you WERE. A word of command in the British service which corresponds with the French remettez vous. It signifies to return to the same position from which you had faced or wheeled, &c. and is generally used when any motion of the firelock or movement of the body has been done improperly. WERST. A Russian measure in trai kilogramme velling. The Werst contains seven hunResult 49,37 kilogrammes.dred and fifty geometrical paces. WEIGHT, (poids, Fr.) Impression, pressure, burthen, overwhelming power. The great advantage which heavy cavalry has over the light horse, and particularly over infantry troops, consists wholly in its pressure and overwhelming power. WELL. In the military art, a depth which the miner sinks under ground, with branches or galleries running out from it; either to prepare a mine, or to discover and disappoint the enemy's mine. See SHAFT. The WHEEL, in artillery. A circular body which turns round on its axis, strength of these wheels is always, or should be, proportional to the weight they carry: the diameters of the wheels of heavy gun-carriages are 85 inches, and those for light field-pieces 52 only. To WHEEL, (Faire conversion, Fr.)In a military sense, to move forward or backward in a circular manner, round some given pomt. See Pivor. Wheeling is one of the most essential and im nor turn his horse's head towards the standing flank; all the horse's heads must be kept rather outwards (for to attempt to bend them inwards, would certainly occasion a crowding on the standing tank) and the croupes lightly closed inwards with the leg. The pivot man of the wheel turns his horse on his fore-feet, keeps his ground, and comes gradually portant operations of the squadron, neces- The standard must take care, never to oblige the wheeling man to exceed a moderate gallop, otherwise the rear rank, which has still more ground to go over, cannot keep up; the squadron will wheel loose and in disorder, and be longer in dressing than if it had come about at a slower pace, but close and connected. The flanks must always conform to the centre, in case the leader does not take his ground as exactly as he ought. At any rate, the standard is the guide for the pace, and the point from which the distance of files is to be preserved. The leader must take care to time his word Dress the instant before the wheel is completed, otherwise an over wheel or reining back will be the consequence.The whole dress by the centre. The squadron breaks into column of any of the divisions in which it is told off, by each of those divisions wheeling up the quarter circle. If the body is in motion (as in column) the wheels of the divisions all begin at the word Wheel! If halted, they are begun at the word March! In all division wheelings, the whole look to the wheeling hand. In all wheelings, the rear rank must rein back at the standing flank, and incline towards the wheeling hand, in order to cover. At the word mark time! balt! given when the wheel is completed, the whole turn eyes and dress to the standing flank, and remain so till a new direction is given. Wheelings of the squadron, or its parts, from the halt, are made on the flanks, except those of ranks by threes, which are made on the middle man of each. WHEEL of divisions into squadron.When the squadron is to be formed by the wheeling up of its divisions, there must not be any intervals, and the rear ranks must rein back, and incline so as not to interrupt the front ranks coming up together. In division wheelings, the whole keep closed lightly towards the hand they wheel to, and must avoid pressing the pivot man off his ground. The outward man looks to his rank, he of course regulates the pace at which the wheel is made; he must not press in on his rank, WHEELS of divisions made on a halted, or on a moveable Pivot. Wheels of divisions of the squadron or line are made on a HALTED, or on a MOVEABLE pivot.When on a balted pivot, they are made from line into column, or from column into line; and also generally by the column of manoeuvre or march, when moving on a considerable front, and when the wheel by which its direction is to be changed, approaches to, or exceeds the quarter circle. When on a moveable pivot, they are generally used and ordered when the front of the column is small, and its path winding and changeable. Whenever the wheel, made on a halted pivot, is less than the quarter circle, the pause after the wheel will be considerable; should the wheel be greater than the quarter circle, it must be accelerated, otherwise more than one division will be arrived, and arrested at the wheeling point. WHEEL on a moveable pivot. When wheels or changes of direction of bodies in column, are made on a MOVEABLE PIvor, both flanks are kept in motion; the pivot one always describing part of a circle, and the reverse flank, and intermediate men of the division, by a compound of inclining and wheeling, conforming to the pivot movement. WHEEL made to the pivot band, and moveable. When the change is made to the PIVOT hand, (the whole being in motion) the leader of the head division, when at the distance of twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection of the old and new direction, will give the word, right or left quarter wheel, which is a cau tion for each man to give a small turn of his horse TOWARDS the pivot hand, and the leader himself carefully preserving the rate of march, without the least alteration of pace, will in his own person begin to circle BEFORE the line, from the old, so as to enter the new direction twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection, which he in this case leaves at some distance WITHIN his pivot hand. When this is effected (the rest of his division having, during the transition, and on the principle of gradual dressing, conformed to the direction he is giving them) he will give the word Forward! for the division to pursue the right line. The leader of the second, and of every other division, when he arrives on the ground on which the first began to wheel, will in the same inanner follow his exact tract, always preserving his proper distance from him. WHEEL made to the reverse flank. When the change is made to the REVERSE hand, the pivot leader having arrived as before, at the spot where he gives his word right or left quarter wheel! for each man to give a small turn of his horse's head FROM the pivot hand, will begin in his own person to circle BEHIND the line from the old, so as to enter the new direction twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection, which, in this case, he leaves at some small distance WITHOUT his pivot hand. The rest of his division, by giving way, having gradually conformed to his movement, he will at the proper instant order Forward! and resume a straight line. During the change to either hand, the whole continue looking to the pivot flank, which never alters the rate of the then march; but the reverse flank is in the one case obliged to slacken, and in the other to quicken its movement. their rarks open, then each rank wheels' distinctly by itself, when it comes to the ground on which the ranks before it wheeled, but not before. In wheeling, the men are to take particular care, neither to open nor close their ranks, and to carry their arms well. In wheeling, the motion of each man is quicker or slower, according to the distance he is from the right or the left: thus, when you wheel to the right, each man moves quicker than his right-hand man ; and, wheeling to the left, each man moves quicker than his left-hand man; the circle that every man wheels being larger, according to the distance he is from the hand he wheels to; as may be seen by describing several circles within one another, at two feet distance from each, which is nearly the space every man is supposed to take up. WHEEL carriages. In artillery, &c. The whole doctrine thereof, as it stands on a mathematical theory, may be reduced to the following particulars, viz. In this manner, without the constraint of formal wheels, a column, when not confined on its flanks, may be conducted in all kinds of winding and changeable di. 1. WHEEL-Carriages meet with less rerections; for if the changes be made gra-sistance than any other kind of carriage. dual, and circling, and that the pivot leadders pursue their proper path at the same uniform equal pace, the true distances of divisions will be preserved, which is the great regulating object on this occasion, and to which every other consideration must give way. The wheelings of cavalry being more difficult than those of infantry, we have, on that account, been more particular; but the subject is handled more amply in the American Military Library The French do not make use of any word that immediately corresponds with Wheel, as a term of command. They say briefly, by platoons, &c. To the right or left into line, march. Par pelotons, àdroite ou à gauche en bataille, marche. The act of wheeling in general is expressed by quar. ter or half-quarter wheel. WHEELINGS. Are different motions made by horse and foot, either to the right or left, or to the right and left about, &c. forward or backward. WHEELING. The old aukward method of oblique moving and wheeling, is now superceded by half and quarter wheeling. The General rules for WHEELING. circle is divided into four equal parts: thence, wheeling to the right or left, is only a quarter of the circle; wheeling to the right or left about, is one half of the circle. 2. The larger the wheels, the easier is the draught of the carriage. 3. A carriage, upon four wheels of equal size, is drawn with less force than with two of those wheels, and two of a lesser size. 4. If the load be all on the axle of the larger wheels, it will be drawn with less force than if laid on the axis of the lesser wheels; contrary to the common notion of loading carriages before. 5. Carriages go with much less force on friction-wheels, than in the common way. WHEELBARROW. A small carriage of burthen, pushed forward by the hands on one wheel; a certain number are always attached to the artillery. by Butler in his Hudibras. called WHIPCORD. A tight spun cord, with which the cat-o-nine-tails is made. WHOLE. All, total, containing all. Take care the WHOLE. A cautionary word which was formerly used in the British service, and is sometimes, butimproperly, given now. The term Attention is adopted in its room. WHOOP. A shout; a loud noise which soldiers make in charging, &c.It is a natural though a barbarous habit, and has been preserved in civilized armies from a prevailing custom among savages, particularly the wild Indians of America. WICKET, (guichet, Fr.) A small door in the gate of a fortified place, through which people go in and out, without open When you wheel to the right, you are to close to the right, so near as to touch your right hand man, but without pressing him; and to look to the left, in ordering the great gate. to bring the rank about even. When you wheel to the left, you are to close to the left, and look to the right, as above directed. This rule will serve for all wheeling by ranks; as when a battalion is marching by subdivisions with WIDERZOUROUK. A compound word from the German, which signifies back again. The French pronounce it Vuiderzourouk. It means à movement which is made fo the rear, in order to bring a squadron to the right about, in the same |