THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
441 
tion in height of the breast of the piece; also by reducing the number 
of barrels to six, and decreasing their length. 
Increased rapidity of fire seems to have been aimed at by the fixing 
of the crank or handle upon the axis of motion of the system, so as to 
act directly. This rendered the rotation more rapid; but the drums 
had to be replaced by small magazines, containing 25 cartridges each, 
the result of which is that continual changes of magazine have actually 
reduced the rapidity of fire which it was sought to increase. 
This mitrailleuse has also undergone several alterations tending to 
the better insertion of the cartridges, and the better extraction of the 
empty cases.* 
The French Mitrailleuse. 
The French mitrailleuse is composed of 25 barrels, fixed in five 
layers, one above the other; the whole surrounded with a bronze 
casing, so as to give it the appearance of a field gun. 
This casing is prolonged to the rear, when it forms a box open at 
the top, in which the loading apparatus is moved backwards and for¬ 
wards by means of a screw placed in prolongation of the medial line. 
The loading apparatus is composed of two parts—viz., 1st, a car¬ 
tridge-plate, with 25 holes corresponding to the barrels, and in which 
the cartridges are placed; and 2nd, a firing arrangement which con¬ 
tains 25 locks, each composed of a piston and a spiral spring. 
In loading, the cartridge-plate and the firing arrangement are carried 
forward by the screw, during which operation the cartridges are partly 
pushed into the barrels; the pistons being brought up by a closing 
disc, which also produces the cocking of the piece. 
This closing disc has 25 holes, and can, by means of a lever-handle 
fixed to the right side of the piece, be drawn sufficiently to the side to 
allow the pistons to pass through the corresponding holes, and so to 
ignite the cartridges. The number of rounds which can be habitually 
fired with this mitrailleuse is only 100 to 150 per minute. 
Its service is laborious, and it easily gets out of order. It is also 
possible for the cartridges to be fired before the breech arrangement is 
properly closed—a very serious defect. 
The Mitrailleuse op M’ontigny and Christophe. 
This mitrailleuse resembles the French in general principles, but 
differs from it in the following details :— 
It is furnished with 37 barrels instead of 25, and the screw by 
means of which the loading apparatus is brought into play is replaced 
by a lever moving in the same vertical plane as the medial line. 
The handle which gives rotation to the closing disc of the “ pistons 
* This description is taken principally from the Swedish report, but it is believed that a drum 
similar to that used with our Gatling is now employed with the Nobel gun, as mentioned already. 
