_Field Artillery_ is composed of the smaller guns and howitzers.

In our service this class of cannon includes the six and twelve-pounder guns, and the twelve and twenty-four-pounder howitzers.

All these are now made of bronze.

This material is more expensive than cast-iron, but its superior tenacity renders it more useful where great weight is objectionable.

Improvements in the manufacture of cast iron may render it safe to employ this metal in the construction of field-pieces.