THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
201 
sible. They appear to consider it proven tliat their own system, 
including the breech-loading, is superior to any other, and refer 
triumphantly to effects produced; which, however, must also be 
much attributed to the bold handling of batteries in this campaign, 
whereby the production of a certain effect has been made of more 
importance than the security of the battery. And I think it cannot 
be denied that their system, including, as it does, but the one most 
appropriate projectile to breech-loading, viz., a capacious percussion 
common shell, (appropriate because it demands only accuracy, not 
great projectile force, nor even ignition of fuze, from the gun), if it 
never yields any astounding results, yet allows a certain average 
satisfactory effect to be fairly reckoned on, (except of course on boggy 
ground). They say that nothing ever goes wrong about their guns ; 
the shells, held fast by screw fittings, are carried loaded and fuzed 
with the exception of the small igniting cap, securely kept apart to 
be added at the last moment; trial shots with these shells are more 
definitive of the range than with anything else ; and the guns are 
very handily worked behind small cover—but they desire to use some 
form of shrapnel. There trouble and change loom in their future s 
they believe that they possess already a very perfect time fuze (not 
yet issued on service), and that the reason the English have so much 
difficulty with fuzes is, that they do not insist sufficiently on having 
them always newly made. 
They carry 10 rounds of case per gun, of which, however, they have 
no opinion: also a proportion of small cartridges with special 
charges for pitching shells just over covering crests—a practice in 
which they have some confidence. 
Their guns (field) will by-and-by be all of bronze, instead of iron 
and steel, partly for convenience of manufacture, and partly because 
it “ allows some use to be made of guns captured from an enemy.” 
Of mitrailleuses the Germans have a high opinion, 
especially against cavalry attacks, horses, they say, being 
more alarmed by its horrid noise than by any other; but they have 
not made up their minds as to their fit place with an army t they are 
decided that, in fortresses, they are exactly suited for the flanks, 
permitting of very long lines of defence : and some officers desire to 
see them adopted as battalion guns in the field; which, however, 
appears to me to be throwing them away, in a place where they are 
not wanted. 
Finally, it is very worthy of notice that the Germans 
servadon^ seem to agree in assigning their success generally to 
two causes,—the exactness of their drill, and their superior 
discipline: the French their reverses (when not repeating the popu¬ 
lar cry of “ treachery ”) to their own in-discipline; which they declare 
to have sprung mainly from the efforts of the higher officers to gain 
popularity amongst the private soldiers at the expense of the autho¬ 
rity of their subordinates, and also from the determined efforts of 
the Press to wield power within the army. I, as a looker on, cannot 
but put in the first place the moral forces acting beneath the above 
