The more particular duties of the Sergeant-major, as described in the Chief Engineer’s Order of 31st May, 1772, were “to carry all the general orders to the Chief Engineer, and the officers of the company, through the means of the other sergeants; also to make known the general orders to the rest of the non-commissioned officers and private men.” These he was required to attend to, “in lieu of an adjutant.” By the royal warrant, he should have been appointed to that rank, and not designated “sergeant-major.” No reason can be traced for altering the title. The _first_ adjutant was an officer of engineers—Lieutenant Evelegh. He was appointed 15th June, 1773. Bridges enlisted into the 30th regiment in 1751, from which he was transferred to the corps as Sergeant-major, and being reduced during the siege (28th September, 1781), was discharged from the company 10th October, 1781. At the time the soldier-artificers were raised, the extensive works ordered to be executed by his Majesty in October, 1770, were in progress, and furnished an excellent opportunity for testing their capabilities and merits. The advantage of the change, and the consequent benefits accruing to the fortress, were soon apparent. Scarcely had the company been in existence a year, before Major-General Boyd, the Lieutenant-Governor, impressed with the conviction of its usefulness, represented, in several communications to Lord Rochford, the Secretary of State, the expediency of augmenting it; and he was the more urgent for its sanction as the new works in hand—which were absolutely essential for the defence of the place—required to be hastened with all possible despatch. The recommendation, coming from so high an authority, met with ready attention, and a Warrant dated 25th March, 1774, was accordingly issued for adding twenty-five men to the company. Its establishment was then fixed as follows:— Sergeant-major 1 Sergeants 4 Corporals 4 Drummer 1 Private artificers @b83 —— Total 93 To the former list of non-commissioned officers were now added— John Richmond, sergeant. John Brown,[6] corporal. Ensign William Skinner joined the company 20th May, and Ensign William Booth 23rd June. Footnote 6: In Hay’s ‘Western Barbary,’ chap. x., Murray’s edit., there is a very pleasing anecdote of the “half-Irish Sultan,” Mulai Yezeed, in which the name of Brown of the Royal Sappers and Miners, properly Soldier-Artificers, is introduced. To controvert a particular point to which it refers, the anecdote in an abridged form, is subjoined.