446 HASTERN AND WESTERN VIEWS OF MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY. 
In my opinion, as I have before remarked, we require a general 
service mountain gun with a projectile similar to that of our Horse 
Artillery equipment (12-pounder) which shall have an effective striking 
velocity at 3500 yards, and which will permit of our making use of the 
advantages of curved fire. This gun may be in two portions, each 
portion not exceeding 54” in length, and a total weight of not more 
than 425 lbs. The carriage complete may exceed the weight of the 
gun by 4 weight of latter. It must not be composed of a larger 
number of distinct portions than the present equipments (to save 
greater delay in coming into or out of action). The carriage with all 
the small stores, etc. must be limited to three mule loads. 
As regards the ammunition the following points must be con- 
sidered:— 
At present we carry with the battery 96 rounds per gun in “ammu- 
nition lime,” and 50 per cent. reserve on active service with “baggage 
line ’’—a total of 144 rounds. In Italy 74 rounds are carried with the 
battery, 60 rounds with the ammunition columns, and 150 rounds per 
gun with the section of park. In the French Mountain Batteries of 
the Alps 54 rounds per gun are carried with the battery, and 89 
rounds by ammunition columns. After a careful consideration of the 
number of rounds fired by our Mountain Artillery in the different 
actions in which they have been engaged, I am of opinion that 84 
rounds per gun with the battery, and 65 per cent. with the reserve would 
meet the case. ‘Total number of rounds would not be affected. 
The number of rounds must be arranged for each ammunition mule 
so that we may not have to crowd our fighting line with a greater 
number of mules in action than necessary. I think it may be con- 
ceded that 1 ring shell and 1 case shot might be dispensed with from 
every mule load (16 rounds), leaving 14 rounds to each mule, or 84 
rounds to the six mules allowed at present. Could this be carried in 
12-pounder ammunition ? 
T consider it could by this means :— 
(i.) Reduction of rounds from 16 to i4. 
(ii.) Substitution of cordite in the cartridge. 
(iii.) The abolition of shell plugs and fuze boxes, shell being 
kept fuzed as in Continental Mountain Artillery, deto- 
nators being dropped in before ammunition is placed in 
the box. 
(iv.) Gun bucket to be carried on axle instead of ammmnition 
mule, and weight of harness and ammunition paulins 
reduced in weighg. 
(v.) Pads to be stuffed with cork chips, which have proved most 
serviceable stuffing after experiments with Mountain 
Artillery in India. 
If a reduction of ammunition is not considered desirable with the 
battery itself, then the extra ammunition mule per sub-division re- 
quired with a battery must be obtained without increase of establish- 
ment, by reducing the number of bare-back mules in batteries in India 
