THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
165 
This instrument lias now been tried by the late Ordnance Select Com¬ 
mittee,, by the School of Gunnery, by the Dartmoor Committee, by the 
artillery at Aldershot, besides minor trials, and in all cases has done well/ ” 
“ He thinks that no further trials are necessary, and that we need look, 
for no better instrument. Submits that it be adopted, and a provision made 
for a supply in next year’s estimates/"’ 
“Proceedings of Select Committee/’ Vol. YI., p. 367 :— 
“The Assistant-Director of Ordnance/’ Colonel Milward, C.B., now head 
of the Laboratory, “by minute 15. 7. 68, states from personal knowledge 
of that portion of the system in use by Lieut. Nolan, in Abyssinia, that it is 
most valuable and useful, not only in action, but under many circumstances 
constantly arising in a campaign.” 
The Dartmoor Committee, of which General Dickson, FC., C.B. (now 
Inspector-General of Artillery), was President, say—8. 12. 69 (Yol. VII., 
Part 4, p. 270) :—“A range-finder should be cairied. The committee are 
very favourably impressed with Lieut. Nolan’s instrument, and recommend 
further trials with it.” 
Colonel Elwyn, B.A., then Commandant of the School of Gunnery, says—- 
(Yol. VII., Part 4, p. 283) : — 
“ The unsatisfactory practice at unknown ranges, whilst manoeuvring 
rapidly, shows that a large quantity of ammunition may be wasted without 
the fact being observable from the battery, and points to the necessity of 
some means being provided for ascertaining in the field, and within reasonable 
limits, the distance of the object to be fired at. For this purpose, an instru¬ 
ment invented by Lieut. Nolan, B.A., was fitted to two guiis of the 12-pr. 
battery; it was worked by the gun detachments under Lieut. Nolan’s instruc¬ 
tions, and the ranges were measured with sufficient accuracy in about one 
minute and a half, or during the time which a field battery must take to come 
into action and get ready its ammunition for firing. 
“This was the only instrument submitted to the committee, and they were 
so favourably impressed with it that they have recommended its further trial. 
“ Should this, or some other instrument for the purpose, be introduced into 
the service, the fullest advantage might be obtained from the guns of pre¬ 
cision of the present day—an advantage which was signally lost in the rapid 
manoeuvres at Dartmoor, where the peculiar features of the ground made it 
most difficult to ascertain the ranges by means of trial shots.” 
Yol. VII., Part 2, p. 135.—Colonel Wray, C.B. (Member of Department 
of the Director-General of Artillery), writing 27. 1. 69, on an experiment, 
which he conducted on behalf of the Ordnance Select Committee, at Shoebury- 
ness, “is of opinion that the experiments show most conclusively that very 
great advantage is gained at a trifling loss of time in coming into action, 
by the use of this instrument; and by neglecting such a manifest advantage, 
we are giving up half the benefits of rifled guns.” 
He states “he is informed that the officer directing the guns (Lieut. W. O. 
Smith, 4th Brigade, R.A.), which were laid in the ordinary manner, is more 
than a fair average representative of the battery subaltern, and yet whereas 
against a close column or line of troops almost every round of Lieut. Nolan’s 
would have told with deadly effect, two-thirds of Lieut. Smith’s would have 
passed harmlessly to the rear.” 
