th£ royal artillery institution. 35 
It was a subject which had been long upon his mind, and upon the 
minds of other officers of experience, and he hoped that at some future 
time they would join in placing it before those who had the power to 
enforce their ideas. During the time he had held the position of 
instructor, the fact had been forced upon him—and the report of the 
Dartmoor Committee specially alluded to it—viz. that in gunnery prac¬ 
tice, whenever the conditions approached nearest to those of actual 
warfare—he meant by that, when the range was unknown and the firing 
rapid—the results were exceedingly indifferent. This ought not to be, 
considering the general excellence of the projectile they had heard 
described. How about the animated materiel? Of course, as far as 
instructors were concerned, they were admirably paid—(a laugh)—and 
had much to be thankful for. He might venture to observe they had 
seen to-day that some of them did not fail in intelligence, or in an 
anxious desire to do their duty. (Applause.) The case was different, 
however, with the people who received instruction. No pay or induce¬ 
ment was held out to the rank and file as a reward for extra intelligence 
and proficiency as gunners . The School of Musketry had exercised an 
amazing influence on the British infantry, and the study of “ Tommy 
Atkins* ** weapon would always be a favourite pursuit with the British 
soldier, because it was paid for and made honourable. But he had met 
with great apathy in receiving instruction, especially on the part of the 
older soldiers of the Royal Artillery; the recruits were more eager, 
until they found they got no good by it—a circumstance which he 
attributed to the fact that nothing in the shape of rewards and badges 
for extra intelligence were held out to the gunner. His promotion, 
even, did not depend on his knowledge and skill as a gunner . To 
remedy this, he should be put on a level with his red brother in the 
infantry, and prizes given for extra efficiency. It was not necessary 
that the pTize should be given to the gun detachment, and any attempt 
in that direction would be a failure. It must be given to the man 
himself who combined knowledge and skill; and, as a proof that this 
was practicable, it had been tried in India with very beneficial effect, 
whenever the commander of the battery was in favour of the system. 
The plan was one which recommended itself on the ground of economy, 
and in these days economy was everything; competitive trials in 
pointing guns could be carried on without ammunition. According to 
the present system, ammunition was wasted through putting a careless 
or a short-sighted man to lay the gun—a duty which in the French 
artillery was entrusted only to certain men called pointeurs, detailed for 
the duty on account of their special aptitude. He believed that the 
introduction of this plan in the British army would be very beneficial. 
The want of some improvement in the accuracy of artillery practice, was 
a subject which had long weighed on his mind. The success of Lieut. 
Nolan*s range-finder made it more than ever necessary we should have 
picked marksmen skilled in its use. Improvements in artillery, when 
not accompanied by skill in their use, were simply a disadvantage; and 
he trusted that he should be pardoned for introducing the subject on 
this occasion. (Applause.) 
Captain J. P. Morgan said that some of Captain Browne*s suggestions 
5 
