THE KOYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
37 
employing that, or some other description of metal, there was a hope of 
avoiding these premature fractures in future ? Again, Captain Browne 
had given an interesting account of the Dartmoor experiments, where 
a good deal seemed to hinge on the degree of perfection attained by the 
fuzes. He would ask the lecturer—than whom no one could speak 
better on the subject—whether they were likely to overcome the great 
difficulty they met with in this respect; for it would become a serious 
question, if they could not get a proper fuze, whether they should not 
return to the muzzle-loading gun. Captain Strange had spoken with 
regard to promoting accuracy of firing by giving prizes for good 
shooting in the artillery, as in the infantry. To some extent he 
(Colonel Adye) agreed with the suggestion, but he did not think the 
plan so easy as his gallant friend seemed to suppose. They had tried 
it in India, and the late Sir George Barker had written to him on the 
subject, but they had found it very difficult of operation. In the 
infantry one man fired a musket, but in the artillery there were half-a- 
dozen to a gun. It was very easy to say that the prize should be given 
to the man who laid the gun; but that would be a very expensive affair, 
because it would require many shots each to test the ability of each 
individual. The plan had been tried in India and given up, probably 
on financial grounds. If Captain Browne would now offer a few obser¬ 
vations on the questions he had put, he should feel obliged. 
Captain Browne expressed himself much pleased at the complimentary 
remarks made respecting his paper, the chief aim of which was simply 
to submit a few facts, in the hope that those who had practical experi¬ 
ence would form their own opinion thereon. Colonel Adye had spoken 
of the advantage possessed by officers engaged in the Arsenal; but there 
was another side to the question. The other day, Captain Majendie 
was remarking that any officer attached to the Laboratory was 
under a great disadvantage as to the* designing fuzes and the like, 
because they were out of the way of actual experience; though no doubt 
it was true that many persons, possessing a thorough acquaintance 
with gunnery in the field, might fall into some mistake for want of 
practical knowledge of the manufacture. As an instance of this, he 
stated that an officer (Major Dyer) had invented a fuze which acted 
upon graze, but failed from a simple defect, which produced a fatal 
rebound, and frequently caused premature explosion ; a defect which 
Mr Pettman—a practical mechanic—stopped by merely inserting a 
small piece of lead behind the pellet; Mr Pettman having—like Sir 
William Armstrong—a manufacturing experience, and well knowing 
the great value of lead for such a purpose, owing to its total absence of 
elasticity—a little bit of working experience unknown to most officers. 
On the other hand, however, there was a converse to this exhibited in 
the mistake made by Sir William Armstrong, in the employment of 
lead, not only as a cushion, but as a support to the pellet; the practical 
test of service showing that he had not calculated on the result pro¬ 
duced on his fuzes by vibration and jarring in the limber boxes. With 
reference to the unsatisfactory condition of the percussion fuze. Captain 
Browne said the difficulty was in enabling detonating powder to stand 
climate. Pettmaffis general service fuze was on the whole a good fuze, 
