THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
257 
No novel principles are involved in this method. Questions and 
answers have always been employed in teaching, and a book full of them 
is one much read at the present time by infantry officers when preparing 
for examinations for promotion. Several little works have appeared 
during the last few years explaining military subjects in simple language 
—as, for instance, Captain Orde Browne's " Short Notes on Field Bat¬ 
teries," and a pamphlet on Armstrong guns by an "Artilleryman," 
whose explanation of the way segments are placed in a segment shell, 
like bricks in a tower, is one always understood and remembered by 
the men; but (as far as the writer in a remote Indian station is aware) 
no systematic attempt has been made to present all the information 
required by artillerymen in a shape suited to them. 
The most important part of practical gunnery is, no doubt, the obtaining 
of accurate and rapid fire. All authorities seem agreed that accuracy is 
the first desideratum, and that a careless even though rapid fire is not to 
be encouraged; as was well stated by Sir Garnet Wolseley in his orders 
to the troops previous to the Ashantee war :—" Every shot that is not 
deliberately aimed not only encourages the enemy—who would soon learn 
to despise a fire that did them no injury—but seriously affects the 
efficiency of the force : if ammunition were to run short, a stop would 
be put to our further advance." But as it has been found with the 
infantry that breech-loaders greatly increase their efficiency, by giving 
them the power of very rapid fire when required, so with artillery (espe¬ 
cially horse) the power of increased rapidity of fire (supposing accuracy 
is still maintained) must give increased efficiency. 
As a rule, gunners are too slow in laying. Every man can lay a gun 
with accuracy, if he is only%ell taught and has plenty of time; but 
only a few can combine rapidity with accuracy. Those few should be 
selected, and the utmost advantage taken of their abilities by special 
training in laying the guns. This has been carried out to a certain 
extent in India by allowing only thirty men specially qualified in each 
battery to lay the guns at the annual practice; a competition takes 
place among them, and 'the ten best receive the honourable title of 
"marksmen," but no pecuniary reward, as in the infantry. 
Experiments were made last cold weather and are being repeated this 
season in India for testing the accuracy of artillery fire at dummy infantry 
behind cover during a certain number of minutes. This country offers 
advantages for these experiments not easily obtainable in England, as 
unknown ground on which the ranges are not familiar can generally be 
fired over. 
Of course nothing but constant practice can make men good and 
rapid shots, and therefore laying should be constantly practised at drill; 
but it should be made as interesting as possible, by varying the objects 
aimed at, and exciting emulation by sometimes timing the rounds and 
finding out who can lay quickest, the instructor always noting if the 
guns are laid accurately. Laying on moving objects* may also be 
useful. A man is ordered to.move across the gun at some distance in 
* Vide “ Translations issued with Proceedings 3 R.A. Institution, No. 1, Yol. VIII. 5 
