556 
MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY PROGRESS. 
velocity which a mountain gun should have ? Recognising the prin¬ 
ciple that in the larger valleys Mountain Artillery may be opposed by 
Horse Artillery, the gun must have the velocity of the Horse Artillery 
gun of a possible foe. The initial velocity of the present Russian 
Horse Artillery gun is 1350 f.s. This is surely a high enough velocity 
for our proposed 12-pr. mountain gun. It is advantageous to be able 
to avail ourselves of high angle fire, we must, therefore, as in the 
Russian mountain gun, have two service charges. Hot to increase the 
number of mules for the transport of our gun and carriage, I would 
arrange the loads in this manner. Two mules for the muzzle and 
breech portions ; two mules for carriage complete without wheels ; one 
mule for the wheels and breech-closing arrangement (on top). One 
of the ammunition mules, instead of carrying as the other nine, three 
rounds of shrapnel and two of common in each box of the pair, should 
be brought into the 1st line and carry six rounds of case shot and the 
contents of the present small store boxes. This would still give a 
total of 96 rounds per sub-division—the minimum. Can the manufactur¬ 
ing departments produce such an equipment fulfilling these conditions, 
viz. :—A 12-pr. B.L. gun of 4J cwt., mounted on a carriage complete 
of 5 cwt., with a muzzle velocity of 1350 f.s. ? The French 12-pr. 
mountain gun of 221 lbs. has a muzzle velocity of 850 f.s. 
A gun, about a 12-pr., but of greater weight, manufactured by a 
private firm, was experimented with last year (1891) at Hay, but its 
velocity was considered too low, though shooting generally was satis¬ 
factory. 
It would be interesting to many officers were an account of the 
experiments carried out at the Mountain Artillery Practice Camp at 
Hay, with mountain equipment, published annually in the “ Pro¬ 
ceedings.” 
