Q.F. GUNS FOR FIELD ARTILLERY. 
455 
vantage, more especially if both forces are armed with quick firing 
guns, as the battery which is slow in ascertaining the range will be 
greatly handicapped in ascertaining it by the heavy shrapnel fire of 
the more expert opponents. 
The Chairman: —You did not mention the weight of the projectile 
when you obtained 14 rounds per minute. 
Lieutenant Dawson :—In one case the weight of the projectile was 
13| lbs. and in another 124 lbs., but the same rate of fire could be 
obtained with a 15 lb. shot. I do not think the weight of the shot 
would in any way influence the rate of fire. In regard to other 
systems, such as Sir George Clarke alluded to, namely, a fixed spade 
running into the ground, we know that when the gun is fired the 
strain on the mounting is very great. 
With regard to the systems as used abroad, I had better not specify 
any particular one, but systems as used by foreign countries have 
been made with spades directly attached to the trail, and sometimes 
with the intervention of the spring between the spade and the trail, 
and I may say that I know for certain that these systems have failed 
when they have had experience of active service, and that being so 
I do not think it is a principle that should be advanced too seriously. 
Then, in regard to taking the recoil through the recoil buffers on 
the carriages, and by a spade at the end of the trail, we know that 
if these recoil buffers are put up in a most prominent position on the 
carriage, they will be shot at and put out of action, and then your 
whole gun is out of action; that therefore would be a serious ob¬ 
jection. 
I omitted to remark in regard to a system takiug the recoil through 
a long distance, we are able to obtain very much higher ballistics, if 
such are required by the military authorities. 
We have made guns weighing 5J cwts., and we can obtain on this 
particular mounting the same rate of fire, as I previously alluded to, 
and get a velocity of 1,700 feet, but I think you will agree that that 
is rather a high velocity for a field gun. 
I do not think I should say any more this afternoon as I 
know the time is short, but I thank you very much for listening to 
me in the way you have. 
Rear-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, C.B., R.N., M.P.:—General 
Maurice, ladies and gentlemen, I think perhaps I ought to apologise 
as a seaman amongst this distinguished company of Royal Artillery 
officers and others for entering into the debate at all, but after all I am 
certain that you recognise that we resemble each other; we are sea 
gunners, you are shore gunners ; we have to work artillery both heavy 
and light and have to land our batteries on shore very often for active 
service. As I read these essays the pith of them appears to me to be 
that the quick firing gun must be taken as better than the slow firing 
gun with its present mounting. The arguments of the distinguished 
officers who have written these essays are well borne out by actual 
facts. We have, in our ships, so far as we can, tried to make all our 
guns quick firing. Some mercantile firms have made a quick firing 
8-inch gun, but we have preferred afloat a quick firing 6-inch gun, 
