673 
THE 
TRAINING OF “POINTEURS” FOR ARTILLERY. 
( From, the French.) 
BY 
LIEUT. H. C DUNLOP, R.A. 
1. The book, of which the following is a short resume , is entitled, 
<e Instruction Provisiore stir la formation des Pointeurs , dans les corps de 
troupe d’Artilerief and is published by the “ Libraire Militaire de Berger 
Levrault et C ie ’’ Rue des Beaux , Arts. No. 5. — Paris. 
“ Pointeur” is the number whose duty it is to lay the gun. 
2. Every recruit is put through an elementary course of laying with 
tangent scale and foresight, and with quadrant. 
His capabilities are judged roughly, as follows :— 
A small white target is placed about 60 yards away. On this target 
is a moveable black disc with a hole in its centre, through which a 
pencil can be inserted and a mark made. 
The instructor lays on some point on the target, and the gun and 
sights remain fixed while the recruit looks over the latter, and has the 
disc moved into what he considers to be the line of sight by a man 
stationed at the target for the purpose. A dot is then made with a 
pencil through the centre of the disc. The disc is moved to a new 
position, and the recruit again looking over the sights has it adjusted, 
and its position marked on the target in the same manner as before. 
This operation is repeated several times. Finally, the instructor, 
looking over the sights, has the true position of the disc recorded. 
The pencil dots thus obtained by each recruit in five consecutive 
layings are joined by straight lines, and the dimensions of the polygons 
thus formed are used as a means of comparison as regards accuracy in 
laying. 
Due regard being paid to skill in the manipulation of the tangent 
scale, quadrant, &c., as well as to these polygons, the best recruits 
are now provisionally selected as “ pointeurs,” and receive further 
special instruction in laying. 
3. {a) Ordinary laying with the tangent scale and foresight. 
(b) Laying with sights and quadrant. 
(c) Laying with sights, quadrant, and plumb-line. 
