430 
VOLUNTEER ADJUTANCIES. 
two Position Batteries, and the remainder Garrison Companies. This 
at once constitutes a great difference between Corps, a difference which, 
may be imagined from the analogy of the various branches of the 
Regular Artillery; but there is a still greater difference in the locality 
and local circumstances of Corps. Some Corps are all together in one 
place, some consist of a fair sized head-quarters, and have one or two 
outlying batteries, companies or detachments, and some consist of a 
number of such units having merely a nominal head-quarters. 
I need not point out that where there are outlying companies the 
courses of instruction are much more difficult to carry out than would 
be the case where all are together; except during camp, or on some 
special occasion, it is in these cases difficult to get any number of 
Officers or N.-C.O/s together. The Adjutant visits outlying detach¬ 
ments twelve times a year or less if there is a camp—and it must always 
be remembered that a Volunteer’s time is not his own, that he cannot 
often, by reason of his civil employment, turn up to parade on any 
given day at a certain hour. Obviously in these cases an Adjutants 
time is to a great extent taken up with ordinary drill and instruction, 
examinations of layers and for proficiency of sergeants, and the oppor¬ 
tunities for progressive instruction are extremely limited. The 645 of 
all ranks, the 28 officers, especially considering the difference between 
establishment and actual numbers, the 40 sergeants and the 100 
N.-C.O’s. melt into small and distinct divisions—“the back-bone of 
the corps ” is broken up. The Adjutant’s whole time is spent in en¬ 
deavouring to maintain uniformity. 
I have heard many officers of the Garrison Artillery complain that 
their work of educating the men of their companies is interfered with 
by the numerous “employments” which take away their best men; 
the disadvantage is just that which the Adjutant of a split up Volun¬ 
teer Corps suffers from, you cannot get a constructive course because 
you get fresh men every time. 
Then let us take the office work, there is certainly plenty of it; in 
the matter of stores there are as many as in a moderate sub-district of 
an old-type armament, they may be much scattered and of great 
diversity, there is the pay and clothing of the Permanent Staff, and a 
general superintendence of the clothing and equipment and arms of the 
Volunteers, there is a heavy correspondence on matters of stores, dis¬ 
cipline, recruiting, &c., as large a list of returns as you will find in 
most Regular offices, rolls, certificates, &c., and for all this what office 
staff have you ? If your head-quarters consist of less than four com¬ 
panies you have one Sergt.-Instructor, who has also to look after the 
drill and equipment at the station. 
I have little to say about the Position Batteries, they have the advan¬ 
tage of a settled equipment and, under the most favourable circumstances 
are capable of attaining a fair standard of relative efficiency. Their 
mobility is dependent, to a great extent, on the local facilities for 
obtaining suitable horses and drivers, and they accordingly vary very 
much in different Corps. Some Corps have R.A. harness, some have 
not, some mount Nos. 1, Staff’ Sergts. and drivers, some do not. There 
is as little to be said for the mixture of Position and Garrison branches, 
