The exercise of the great guns in our navy, is as follows:

About

from Falconer's New Universal Dictionary of the Marine, 1815 edition; ed. William Burney (London: Chatham Publishing, 2006), 141–142.

"Upon beating to arms (every person having immediately repaired to his quarters), the midshipman, commanding a number of guns, is to see that they are not without every necessary article, as (at every gun) a sponge, powder-horn, with its priming wires, and a sufficient quantity of powder, shot, crow, handspike, bed, quoin, train-tackle &c. sending, without delay, for a supply of any thing that may be missing; and, for the greater certainty of not overlooking any deficiency, he is to give strict orders to every captain gun captain under him, to make the like examination at his respective gun, and to take care that every requisite is in a serviceable condition, which he is to report accordingly. And (besides the other advantages of this regulation) for the still more certain and speedy account being taken upon these occasions, the midshipman is to give each man his charge at quarters (as expressed in the form of the monthly report) who is to search for his particular implements, and, not finding them, is immediately to acquaint his captain, that, upon his report to the midshipman, they may be replaced.

"The man who takes care of the powder, is to place himself on the opposite side of the deck from that where we engage, except when fighting on both sides at once, when he is to be amidships. He is not to suffer any other man to take a cartridge from him, but he who is appointed to serve the gun with that article, either in time of a real engagement, or at exercise.

"Lanterns are not to be brought to quarters in the night, until the midshipman gives his orders for so doing to the person he charges with that article. Every thing being in its place, and not the least lumber in the way of the guns, the exercise begins with, ..."