SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1895. 343 
mountings, which have to be fought in different positions and under 
varying circumstances. Are we then to abandon the system of fire 
discipline, &c., under which our Garrison Artillery has been trained 
for the last several years? I trust not; for it is a system that has done 
much good service, and undoubtedly gave, when it was first started, a 
much desired impetus to the training of the Garrison Artillery. But 
I think we ought to recognise now that we have hitherto taken a some- 
what exclusive view with regard to the réle of Coast Fortresses, and 
be prepared to modify our system as necessary, to bring it more in 
accordance with the probability of things. ‘This we can do the more 
readily because the system being in itself a sound one no very great 
changes are necessary: violent changes seldom lead to immediate 
beneficial results, and gradual modification to suit new circumstances 
is the law of healthy change. Let us see then what kind of system of 
_ training is required, and how far the present system as given in the 
Garrison Artillery drill-book needs modification. 
In the first place it will be observed that as all Garrison Artil- 
lery Companies are liable to foreign service and with it different 
duties in different stations, while the Militia and Volunteers are only 
required for home defence, it is probable that the former will requirea 
wider, and more general training than the latter; for while the training 
of the one must be such as to fit all Companies to perform the different 
duties they may be called upon to undertake in different places, the 
training of the other need only be such as to best fit them for those 
particular duties to which they are allotted in the fortresses they 
garrison. It will, therefore, be advisable to consider the method of 
training each corps separately before we come to the question of how 
they can best be trained together. 
This liability to foreign service will always be the great difficulty in 
the way of organising, and training the Garrison Artillery Companies 
in the manner which otherwise might theoretically be the best. We 
cannot. say that such, and such companies shall be permanently trained 
to fight heavy guns against ships, such, and such others as Siege Train 
Companies, and others again to quick-firing guns &ec.; for to do so 
means, that some companies will not be liable to service abroad 
or lable only to service in certain places abroad, some companies 
thus always getting the good stations, while others have to be 
satisfied with the less desirable ones, some companies getting long 
periods of home service, whilst others cannot expect more than 
a brief spell at home between two long tours of foreign ser- 
vice. Desirable therefore as it doubtless would be, to have the 
different kinds of Garrison Artillery work permanently specialised, it 
does not seem that this is likely to be feasible with due regard to the 
exigencies of the service, and the training of Companies therefore must 
be conducted on the principle of general foreign service, and consequent 
lability to different duties at different times and places. To meet then 
the various demands that may be made on Garrison Companies their 
training should be of two kinds. 
(1.). A general training, embodying the simplest applications of the 
A7 
Difference of 
Conditions 
Royal 
Artillery, 
