THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
225 
these elements at the proper moment on the spot where they were 
required to be employed.” 
It may be doubted whether even our own unrivalled manufacturing 
powers would enable us to reverse the scriptural saying, and, as 
it were, to turn our ploughshares into swords within the short interval 
in which modern campaigns are decided. When, at the commence¬ 
ment of the Italian war of 1859, the French War Administration 
found itself in critical circumstances as regarded the supply of 
clothing and boots for the army, an appeal was made to private 
industry throughout all the departments in order to supply the 
wants. This call only resulted, after two months, in the delivery of 
10,000 pairs of shoes into the magazines; and similar difficulties were 
found to exist with regard to clothing. Again, at the commencement 
of the War of Secession, no less than thirty manufactories of small-arms 
were started in the United States; but they produced nothing the first 
year, and even at the end of two years could only succeed in turning 
out 2000 stand a day. On the other hand, should time he given , we 
might certainly to a great extent depend upon the private manufactories 
to compensate for the loss of the Government arsenal. Thus, in answer 
to an appeal of M. Gambetta, the private firms in France delivered to 
the Government of National Defence, within the space of five months, 
no less than 500 batteries, amounting to 8000 guns, with their carriages 
and ammunition complete. But the extent of England is small com¬ 
pared to that of France, and therefore the fate of the country would 
probably be decided in a much shorter time—the more so, as the invest¬ 
ment of Paris occupied the major portion of the Prussian army, whereas, 
London occupied, an army invading England would be free to march 
at once in any direction it chose. With regard to the presence of the 
crude products required for the manufactures of war materiel, Woolwich, 
although originally selected for a foundry on account of the vicinity 
of loam suited for the construction of moulds, is unfavourably situated, 
as being far removed from the iron and coal-producing districts. The 
great facilities, however,- which the place possesses in way of water- 
carriage, reduce this inconvenience to a minimum. 
In the matter of facilities for manufacture, these latter have grown 
proportionally with the extent of the establishments themselves. At 
the present moment, probably there is no Government establishment in 
the world which can compete with Woolwich in the extent and variety 
of its plant and machinery, and its power of expansion in case of 
necessity. A large amount of skilled labour has been attracted to the 
neighbourhood, but it is chiefly already employed in the Government 
establishments, and the supply.is not unlimited in case of an extraor¬ 
dinary demand arising. 
The supply and the manufacture of war materiel come under different 
heads, but still they are both so intimately connected that it is scarcely 
possible to treat of one subject without alluding to the other. Looking 
upon the army and navy as the consumers of the war materiel manufactured 
at Woolwich, it must be conceded that it is well situated for the supply 
of war vessels able to take care of themselves; though not, as before 
stated, for the despatch of transports, when a state of war exists with 
