COAST ARTILLERY IN ACTION, 155 
pendently. Minutiae, such as these, cannot be included in a drill-book ; 
it is for the common sense of the local authorities, to organise their 
personnel to the best advantage. 
With the exception of these considerations, I do not thik the 
Gun Group Commanders and Gun Captains are much affected by the 
new orders: their duties remain much as they were: the functions of 
the Battery Commander have, however, been more closely defined, and 
as hig command is perhaps the most important thing in Coast Defence, 
it is worthy of special study. 
Tur Barrery CoMMANDER. 
A Battery Command is now defined, as the number of guns which 
can be effectually supervised by one man: it is thus a true tactical unit, 
and its method of fighting depends upon two things, the range-finding 
installation and the class of work the guns are placed in, 
RanGe-FINDERS. 
With regard to range-finders, I yield to no one in enthusiastic admir- 
ation of those we have got: the reputation of the position-finder has 
been damaged, more by injudicious praise than by anything else, more by 
those who imagined it would work miracles, than by those who knew the 
true limits of its powers. When used as a range-finder, that 1s, when 
the gun is laid over the sights, it is hard to imagine a more complete 
and useful instrument, added to which, it has a unique value when 
gun-sights are obscured or guns mounted for high-angle fire. To it 
also we owe the fact, that the guns of a fortress are now knit together 
and combined, in a way that was never dreamed of before, for I believe 
Colonel Watkin was the first to propose and carry out electric com- 
munications. It is possible, but not probable, that we may live to 
see better instruments and better systems, but the first step was taken 
by Colonel Watkin, and nothing can rob him of that glory. From the 
introduction of electric communications dates the renaissance of the 
Garrison Artillery. 
The depression range-finder is, 1 think, a favourite with everyone, 
and I have just heard that Colonel Watkin has further improved it ; he 
has replaced the slider by a wheel, given a larger arc at the base and a 
more powerful telescope, and has, in fact, turned out a stronger and a 
better instrument; but excellent and handy as the depression range- 
finder undoubtedly is, I need not tell you it cannot do all that the 
position-finder can. The latter will, I believe, be given to all the more 
important groups, while the former will be supplied at present, at the 
rate of one a work. It is, of course, obvious that the nature of this 
supply intimately affects the method of fighting a Battery Command. 
Not less in its influence, is the nature of the work, in which the guns 
are placed. 
With regard to the Battery Commander, I wish to draw attention to 
the three following points :—The targets he can engage, his position in 
action, the responsibility of correcting fire. 
TARGETS. 
The number of targets that can be engaged simultaneously, will de- 
