Firing a defended bridge; a plaster-and-brine glue
Burn a hay-filled bastion beside the bridge; re-fire plaster with salt water for glue
A faded sheet carrying a short military and technical note. The text advises that against a bridge holding out under munitions one should send up a bastion packed with hay and burn it beside the bridge; it adds that plaster (gesso) re-fired with salt water will yield its own glue. Faint studies of columns or pillars, a tall shaft and a pyramid are drawn across the lower half; further untranscribed jottings appear along the left margin.
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Burning a bridge with a hay-filled bastion
The note proposes that against a bridge which resists an assault one should bring up a bastion filled with hay and set it alight beside the bridge. It also records that plaster re-fired with salt water will form its own binding glue. The passage reads as a practical memorandum on siege methods and materials.
Faint studies of columns and mechanical elements
The lower half of the sheet carries faint studies of columnar or pillar-like forms, a tall shaft and a pyramid. These are drawn lightly and are hard to read on the faded paper. Additional untranscribed notes run down the left margin.