444, EASTERN AND WESTERN VIEWS OF MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY. 
Captain Schenck is confident this can be reduced all round to 55 lbs. 
at the most, by converting the saddle to the Moore principle. The 
ammunition saddlery can be brought down even to 50 lbs. in his 
opinion. He does not describe the Moore saddle. He then arrives 
at the remaining factor of greatest importance in a Mountain Battery, 
viz. the power of fire of the gun, modified by the condition that the 
gun, together with the carriage and implements etc., must in his 
opinion, admit of being carried on not more than 8 mules, and that 
each gun shall have with it in the field about 100 rounds of ammu- 
nition, without the latter necessitating an unduly large number of 
mules for its transportation. This is generally limited to 6 or 8 packs 
per gun, with a reasonable supply of pack-animals spare—3 per gun— 
increased in the batteries to act with Cavalry, by the animals of 
mounted men killed in action. This latter statement seems a very 
unreliable one in my opinion, as presumably the percentage of mules 
killed, or put out of action temporarily will be almost as high as the 
men. 
The writer then details all the old arguments for and against quick- 
firing guns as compared with the ordinary loading piece, arriving at 
the same conclusion as ourselves, that the carefully observed fire of a 
heavy shrapnel from the latter is preferable to the rapid loading light 
projectile of the former. The weight of projectile for the most 
powerful class of mountain guns in Hurope varies from about 8 to 18 
Ibs. nearly. With 18 lbs., allowing 4 lb. as a maximum possible service 
charge of smokeless powder, and 20 lbs. as the weight of the ammu- 
nition box—the same as for the old 12-pounder howitzer, with 7 
rounds in a box; the weight of the ammunition box packed would 
be about 115 lbs., or the total weight for ammunition pack-load of 
14 rounds would be 280 lbs., the same as for the old gun. Captain 
Schenck does not however tell us how he disposes of the following 
very necessary stores for the service of his gun, viz.:—boxes of fuzes, 
fuze keys, cartouches with their wax cloth, tubes, grummet wads, etc., 
to say nothing of the necessary small implements carried by us in our 
“small store” boxes, the saddle and box paulins, stable requisites for 
the mules, etc., all of which go to form such a large percentage of the 
weight of our ordnance equipment, and which cannot be dispensed with 
on active service. 
The author then goes on to say, that although his tried limit of 
272 lbs. is exceeded in the ammunition load by 8 lbs., these boxes 
are compact, best riding and easiest on the animals, are expendible 
packs, and that with 7 loads per gun there would be 98 rounds per 
gun, which may be considered satisfactory both as to number of rounds 
and of animals required, he considers. 
In order to secure the sectional or spherical density obtaining 
for projectiles of the present date, which alone will secure good 
ballistic results at battle ranges without undue recoils and strains on 
gun and carriage, the calibre for a required gun for a 13 lbs. projectile, 
in his opinion, should be about 2°9”, the length of the shrapnel shell ~ 
without fuze being about 3:25 calibres. Adverse reflections are then 
made in the article on our screw gun equipment, and we are then 
