COMMENDED ESSAY, 1895. 359 
would be manned by Auxiliary Artillery, the Senior Officers of which 
will naturally become the Fire and Battery Commanders, as they 
cannot well be set aside in favour of junior Officers, though possibly of 
greater experience, of the Regular Artillery. The question is no 
doubt a somewhat invidious one, but ib is not one that can be safely 
postponed for decision till the last moment. Fortunately the difficulty 
is one which is likely to decrease as the Auxihary Officers become 
better acquainted with Coast Defence work, and qualify themselves to 
act independently in the highest positions which they may be called 
upon to fill. 
INSTRUCTORS. 
The instruction of the Auxiliaries during their training would be 
carried out of course by the Regular Artillery. In the case of a Corps 
new to Coast Defence work the instructional staff would necessarily be 
large. The Superintending Officer would require 2 or 3 Officers of 
Regulars under him as Assistants and some N.C. Officers in addition 
to those of the Permanent Staff of the Corps, as at this stage thorough 
supervision would be required over every portion of the work. At 
first also a few Gunners would be required from the regulars to take 
some of the more difficult duties until these were thoroughly under- 
stood by the men of the Corps. As time went on however the Staff 
of instructors should be gradually diminished, the Officers and N.C. 
Officers of the Corps taking up the work of instruction themselves. 
It is indeed of the highest importance that they should qualify 
themselves to do this at the earliest possible moment, and should not 
be content to remain under tutelage year after year, for it cannot be 
expected that the rank and file will have that confidence, which it is 
essential to discipline that they should have, in Officers and N.C. 
Officers who never take their proper places as instructors of their men, 
The principle then on which the instruction should be carried out by 
the instructors of the Regular Artillery is that, although in the first 
instance every assistance should be given, support should be gradually 
withdrawn till eventually their intervention would be confined to the 
framing of the programme, the communication of any new points in 
drill or in Coast defence tactics, and beyond this merely to supervision. 
It is important that this last should always be maintained to ensure the 
work being done in conformity with the recognized system. 
Programme or Work. 
The principle on which the distribution of the Artillery corps of a 
fortress should be made being determined and it being understood 
what is expected of them in manning the Batteries to which they are 
allotted, we are now in a better position to draw up a programme for 
a course of training to fit them successively to man a Battery, to take 
part in the manning of the forts under the Fire Commander and 
finally in the general manning of the whole fortress. 
— Time available-—As the Militia training lasts for 28 days, whereas 
the Volunteers cannot be depended upon to be able to come out for 
more than a week, it is evident that when Corps from these two 
49 
