456 
Q.F. GUISS FOR FIELD ARTILLERY. 
and quick firers of 4*7-inch, of 12-pr., of 6-pr., and down to 3-pr., 
and what I want to point out is that we have actually altered our 30 
calibre 6-inch gun that was not a quick firing gun, and made it into 
a quick firing gun now because we are so certain that the quick firing 
gun is better than a gun that is not quick firing. 
There is another point that was brought out by one of the officers 
who spoke just now, and that is, that the French and Germans and all 
foreign powers (who, remember, are the great military powers of 
the Continent) have determined that the quick firing gun is the best 
for Field and Horse Artillery, and I am informed that both the French 
and the Germans have at this moment 150 batteries each fully equipped 
and ready to take the field with quick firing guns, and that as soon as 
they can get the money they intend to alter the whole of their artillery 
complement to quick firing guns. I think that is a very startling 
fact and a fact that our government ought to recognise and probably 
will recognise after a meeting of this character. I have in the House 
of Commons twice spoken on this question of the necessity of fitting 
our Horse and Field Artillery with quick firing guns, and I have got 
up till now rather evasive answers; but after this meeting I shall take 
the liberty of asking some more or less impertinent questions on that 
point again. 
There is another point upon the quick firing guns. I have found 
out what happened on the 5th of April at Atbara. There is no ques¬ 
tion that the cavalry reconnaisance of 800 men would have been anni¬ 
hilated except for one battery of Maxim guns. I have seen three 
officers who were there, and in making these remarks I do not want 
to say anything invidious of the Sirdar or of those officers who fought 
there; I give them every credit. They sent those Maxims there be¬ 
cause they knew that if they did not, with the small force they had 
and 4,000 cavalry of the enemy in close proximity to where the in¬ 
fantry were in the Zareba they could only hold their own with the 
Maxims. What happened was this. The cavalry absolutely sur¬ 
rounded our small force; the infantry came out of the Zareba and 
things did not look very bright ; but whenever the cavalry formed up 
to charge they were only up to 1,200 yards when the Maxims played 
upon them and they never could get a force large enough to come 
down and charge our small force of cavalry. There is no doubt in 
the world that that was owing to the Maxims being able to fire very 
quickly and that they are worked on the quick firing principle. I may 
mention also that the Egyptian Government as it is called (that really 
means Lord Cromer) have, I think, two batteries of quick firing guns 
at this moment,—I know they have one. Therefore they recognise 
that it is a very useful armament. 
There were one or two remarks made as to training the men. If 
you get a new armament, which the quick firing gun will be to a cer¬ 
tain extent, the most careful organization and training will be neces¬ 
sary for the men to use it effectively, and I quite agree with the 
officer who said that what he called the layer, what we call No. 1, the 
captain of the gun, should certainly get extra pay because he is the 
most important man at the gun. It is no use your bringing twenty 
