Have recently read Fury and now just got hold of Havoc & Escape; all excellent, made especially pertinent as I’m presently living in Porto but normally live in Jerez de la Frontera Be advised though that gunpowder is a low explosive which burns rapidly causing an expansion of hot gases and increased pressure. If this pressure is confined – in an frangible shell, the confined pressure will cause an explosion. Detonations are the result of a high explosive being detonated by a detonating wave: this is not burning but a complete molecular breakdown of a substance at speeds of up to 8000 metre per second. It is therefore incorrect to use the term detonations when describing the noise and effect of pre-high explosive shells and munitions as used in the Peninsular War. Thanks for giving me so much enjoyment from your Sharpe books. Harry Weeks, Lt Col (Rtd) Ammunition Technical Officer RAOC and RLC: 1966 to 2002