4 
ground, on the command, “ Eyes centre, right, or left,” the order of things exist¬ 
ing up to that moment ceases in those cases when' accuracy of dressing can 
and may be obtained at the expense of flexibility of front. The use of special 
“section lockers” is not called for by any great necessity; in our batteries, 
without them, we can boldly circumvent obstacles, but this is quite impossible 
without independence of units. It will be better to establish this independence 
by an absolute regulation than to allow it only as an exception to a fixed prin¬ 
ciple of dressing which can only be adhered to on level and open ground, which 
latter may be looked upon as an exception rarely met with when manoeuvring. 
Some Rules and Principles which should find place in the Brill Regulations of 
Field Artillery. 
1. —The simultaneous' and accurate execution of drill manoeuvres depends on 
the certainty, exactitude, and rapidity of the transmission of orders. The voice , 
raised in proportion to the extent of front and depth of the formation ; signals 
with the sword or hand in combination with the direction and pace of the horse; 
in the case of a very extended front, trumpet sounds ; and, lastly, orderlies 
represent the means for obtaining rapid transmission of orders and their simul¬ 
taneous receipt. The drill-book should lay down the conditions for the employment 
of one or other of these singly or in combination. It must, in particular, settle 
the meaning of signals of the sword or hand, distinguishing between caution 
signals and executive signals so as to avoid the possibility of doubt and confusion. t 
The verbal transmission of orders by means of orderlies is of great importance in 
the field. Although at drill parades it is not always necessary to have recourse 
to this means, the regulations should enjoin its application because practice on a 
large scale in peace time is an excellent means of training orderlies in their duties 
of maintaining connection between different units in war. Besides, by using 
orderlies it is possible to manoeuvre a whole regiment on the move. Orderlies 
may be used to'maintain tlie connection between the fighting line and the echelons 
in rear for the purpose of replenishing ammunition and replacing casualties, or in 
manoeuvre to maintain connection between different units of the command. Eor 
this latter"purpose, the personnel at the disposal of commanders of units is in¬ 
sufficient for service, and must be increased by means of the batteries. The 
regulation should ‘ clearly lay down whose duty it is to act as the links of the 
connection which every unit must maintain in the interest both of replenishment 
of ammunition and of manoeuvre, on the general principle that every connection 
should be established from the rear to the front , from the subordinate to the com¬ 
mander. The regulation must also fix the time for establishing this connection; 
as a general principle this would be the time when the batteries pass from ren¬ 
dezvous to fighting formation. 
2. —As regards the method of instruction, the regulations should principally 
enjoin a certain progressiveness in the exercises laid down. Special exercises 
should be established to enable officers to work out for themselves the compara¬ 
tive importance of different formations which can hardly be gathered directly 
from the text of a drill-book. Officers when handling fighting and tactical units 
at war strength will have frequent opportunities of learning the relative value, 
under different circumstances, of the several drill formations. Generally speak¬ 
ing, the method of instruction should compel officers to practice themselves in 
solution of manoeuvring problems, such as the following:— cc To move a given 
body of artillery which is in such and such a formation, in such and such a 
position, in the quickest and simplest- manner to a given position into a given 
formation, and in a given direction.” 
3. —In the regulations for the riding-school, the following general principles of 
drivmg^-drill must be laid down :— 
(«!)■ ftegukmty *)f pafces. 
(A) ..Gradual change of pace. 
