MACHINE-GUNS, OH MITKAILLEUSES. 395 
put into the gun will produce an effect, the fragments of the 
iron envelope acting usually very irregularly. Against such 
perfection of execution it is clear there are frequent and grave 
obstacles in practice, and in the heat of action, or when firing 
rapidly at objects in motion, such as infantry and cavalry, 
whose distances are continually being changed, that some of 
the requisite conditions must very generally be imperfectly 
fulfilled. Of the efficiency of machine-guns in comparison 
with the shell practice of field artillery, we have mainly to 
consider the conditions of the cones of dispersion formed by 
the mitraille discharged. From the mitrailleuses and machine- 
guns these cones will be long, narrow, and the mitraille very 
uniformly distributed, and the cones of dispersion cut by a 
target or lines of troops will at every definite distance of range 
give uniform results. The shells, on the other hand, will have 
the points of commencement of the cones of dispersion vari- 
able, according to the ever-varying positions of the bursts of 
the shells, whilst the cones themselves will be shorter and 
wider, and the distribution of the liberated bullets of annular 
form, or more or less in the shape of a broad ring, in the centre 
of which will be an almost innocuous area. Such rings would 
only cut an advancing line of troops in two places ; whilst 
no lateral or streaking motion of the mitraille, seemingly so 
deadly in effect, is producible in shell practice. The mitraille of 
the shells, however, covers longitudinally, or from front to rear 
of the advancing troops, a longer area. The respective weights 
of guns and mitrailleuses also involves the number of horses 
and men engaged (the Montigny being about 380 lbs., the 
Gatling about 250 lbs.) ; and numerous other - items crop up 
for serious consideration. Indeed, it is only out of the prac- 
tical results in the present war, and by thorough and exhaustive 
experimental investigations, calmly and dispassionately carried 
to logical conclusions, that the real practical general value of 
machine-guns can be estimated, and the best weapon for the 
purpose determined. 
The following tables give the comparative shootings of the 
weapons so far put into competition by the committee, di- 
rected by the Government, under the presidency of Col. Wray, 
C.B., K.A., to carry out this investigation. (See pp. 396-406.) 
With those accurate returns before them, every one can 
draw all the comparisons possible at this time ; and we conclude 
this article without comment of any sort, feeling that it would 
not be proper to pronounce definite views before the conclusion 
of the trials is announced. 
