THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
101 
“ The accuracy of their fire was considerable, but I do think that the 
fuzes are too delicate, or perhaps I should say they require too delicate 
handling- for field guns when under fire. 
“ We travelled some 6-prs. with columns of infantry, and they were useful 
in getting long shots at parties of natives, and never impeded the march 
Let us now see how the Armstrong guns answered for Naval Service. 
On the 15th and 16th August, 1863, five of our ships were engaged at 
Kagosima, Japan, and judging generally from the reports forwarded to the 
Admiralty,f the guns behaved very well; the practice of 110 and 40-prs. at 
4000 yards was admirable, and the shells with the new pattern pillar fuzes 
proved most destructive projectiles, but some jamming of vent pieces 
occurred on board the “ Euryalus,” six old pattern vent pieces were cracked in 
7 7 rounds, and two instances occurred on board the “ Perseus” of vent pieces 
having been blown away, in consequence it was supposed of there being no 
indicators to show that the breech screw was not properly screwed up. The 
evil is however incidental to this system of breech-loading. 
Vice-Admiral Sir Augustus Kuper, the commander-in-chief in China 
at the time, states,$ that from observations during this engagement he 
has formed a very high opinion of the Armstrong guns as regards the 
precision, force, and destructive power of their projectiles, but he considers 
the liability of vent pieces to split or jam, and the care required in screwing 
them up are great drawbacks to the general efficiency of the Armstrong gun 
for naval purposes; and when, as at Kagosima, an action is fought in bad 
Weather, the vent pieces and cartridges are necessarily much exposed to wet^ 
causing serious delay by missfires. 
The action of the Straits of Simona Sek-i had followed that of Kagosima 
in little more than twelve months, and four of the ships engaged in the 
second operation were concerned in the first. 
“ No substantial change had taken place in the ships’ armaments, the 
accidents and defects reported bear, as would be expected, much the same 
character. No case is reported of a vent piece having been blown out oil 
this occasion, although a serious escape of gas took place in one instance; 
a proof, perhaps, of improved training and greater experience. The materiel, 
however, was still of an early date, and not calculated to do justice to the 
powers of the guns with all the improvements of detail that have been 
applied within the last two or three years.”§ 
The next and last engagement was that of the t( Galatea” at Cape Haytien, 
in 1866, and the guns with all the “improvements of detail” showed their 
powers to advantage* * * § 
* Letter to Captain Stoney, March 1 , 1868. 
f O.S. Committee Extracts, Yol. I. p. 400. The “ Extracts from the Reports and Proceedings 
Of the Ordnance Select Committee” are published regularly every quarter (since June 30, 1862)* 
They contain a well arranged summary of the facts connected with every professional subject 
discussed by the O.S. Committee. 
X O.S. Committee Extracts, Yol. II. pp. 93. 
§ Ibid. Yol. III. p. 23. 
[YOL. VI.] 
14 
