439 
QUICK-FIRE GUNS FOR FIELD ARTILLERY. 
A DISCUSSION OF THE ESSAYS BEWABDED AND PUBLISHED 
IN THE 
‘DUNCAN’ GOLD MEDAL COMPETITION, 1898, 
Held at the Boyal United Service Institution, Whitehall, Wednesday, 13th July, 1898. 
i 
% 
A ' 
Major-General J. F. Maurice, C.B., in the Chair. 
Lieut.-General the Rt. Hon. Lord Methuen,, K.C.V.O., C.B., 
C.M.G. :—General Maurice, before the discussion begins I wish to say 
on behalf of the Council of which I am Chairman that it gives us 
extreme pleasure to welcome the Royal Artillery Institution here. There 
is no body of men who recognise more than we do, the harm that is 
done perhaps to attendance at lectures here by reason of the many 
successful lectures at the Institution at Woolwich, and also at the 
Institution at Aldershot, and I am certain that no body of men are 
more pleased to suffer in consequence. I may also say with regard 
to the subject of discussion to-day that it is one that carries im¬ 
mense interest with the British public. Rightly or wrongly there 
is a feeling among a great number of us that steps should be 
taken to bring forward the quick firing gun. Whether that opinion 
is right or wrong I do not wish to say now, but I feel perfectly certain 
that to the British public it is an immense advantage that a subject 
such as this should be discussed in this Institution, and that they may 
have the benefit of reading opinions of men so capable of giving an 
opinion as they will read in to-morrow morning’s papers. 
THE CHAIRMAN :—Major Abdy has a letter to read first of all. 
Major A. J. Abdy, R.A.:— I have a letter from Major F. B. 
Elmslie, R.A., the winner of one of the Silver Medals, written by 
him on the way to Egypt, where he is going in command of a howitzer 
field battery. He left England in such a hurry, going on service, 
that he was not able to say all he wished to say then, but he has written 
to me from Gibraltar, as follows :—(Reading the letter) 
The Essays were restricted to the advantages and disadvan¬ 
tages of a Q.F. armament. The question of the organization 
9. vol, xxv 
