88 
DISCUSSION ON ARTILLERY, 
with them, and I should like to know what people do think about it. 
We never drill with them at home. 
The Chairman :—You never let your waggons be separated from 
the guns ? 
Major Young :—Never. 
The Chairman :—You were asking, Major May, whether he had an 
escort. 
Major May :—I wanted to know whether he left the waggons 
behind, and if so whether he had an escort for them. 
The Chairman :—You spoke here the other day, Major Young, and 
you said “ We also found the very great labour of running up ; the 
men got extremely tired and found it very heavy work.” 
Major Young: —We did, Sir. On the top of that hill the ground 
was very rocky and hard and we had no brakes of any sort, and the 
men felt it very much. 
The Chairman :—There was no arrangement to check the recoil at 
all? ^ 
Major Young :—None ; that was part of the lightness. 
The Chairman :—You had a very light gun and a very light 
carriage and were firing 9 lb. shell and you had no brakes and so you 
got a long recoil ? 
Major Young :—Yes, Sir, I found it jumped over the big stones 
there, and it was very hard labour to put it back and get it in line of 
fire again. On the other hand when we got into the plain to 
MacDonahFslineat the end of the engagement, the gun made alittlehole 
for itself and there was no recoil at all. It all depended on the 
ground it was on. But I had to use the drivers to keep running up. 
Lieut.-Colonel W. L. Davison :—Might I ask how many men were 
employed in the running up ? 
Major Young :— I only had the ordinary detachment of eight men. 
Lieut.-Colonel Davidson :—How many working numbers had you 
for each gun ? 
Major Young :— I had five working numbers. 
The Chairman :—You cannot tell us what the muzzle velocity of 
your shells was ? that is rather important. 
Major Young :—425 metres. 
The Chairman :—Well, gentlemen, I do not know whether there is 
anyone else who wishes to ask about this Egyptian Horse Artillery 
Battery. I do not think we have got very much to learn from it, so 
far as I can make out. To begin with, I do not know whether you 
would like to reduce the weight of your shells from 12 lb. to 9 lb., nor 
do I think that you would care to carry only 27 rounds with the gun ; 
and although they seem to have got great lightness in marching, the 
performance of the gun as regards recoil when fired does not seem to 
have been satisfactory. I should think we might almost pass on from 
that and take the question of the Egyptian Field Batteries, and I will 
ask Major Abdy to read a letter on that subject. 
Major A. J. Abdy :—I have here, Sir, a letter from Major Lawrie, 
written on the 23rd June, from the Turf Club, Cairo. He says:— 
