The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-15 00:00:00

.2VETV FIELD RIFLE ARTILLERY

Brigadier-General Sir Charles Shaw has per-
fected a novel piece of field artillery, from which
he anticipates extraordinary results in the per-
centage of destructiveness and economy of infantry-
force and pecuniary expenditure. Napoleon's
axiom was that to bring a continuous concentrated
fire upon a given
.point of the enemy's position
was the secret of victory. Animated by this idea,
the gallant general has turned his attention to
the construction of a machine which shall accom-
plish this object with the least amount of risk to
the party using it. The invention, which was ex.
hibited on Monday to a select party of gentlemen
of the military profession and the representatives 01
the press, at the Messrs. Rennie's works, Holland-
street, may be briefly described as an ambulatory
infernal machine, based upon the Fieschi model. It
consists of a row of 25 rifle barrels, bound together,
fitted to an tqle, and mounted upon a pair of strong
light wheels. The axle is capable of depression or
elevation to any angle within- a radius of 55 de-
grees, so that the necessary elevation according to
the distance of the enemy may be insured. The
barrels may be either breach-loading, upon the re-
volver principle, or they may, as in the model ex-
. hibited, be charged in the ordinary way, at the
mouth and rammed down, and all may be discharged
at a single fire, and in four divisions of six each.
The whole machine is but 2001bs. weight, and is
sufficiently portable to be moved about, turned to
the right or to the left, and its fire directed with
certainty, by a single soldier, while with its am-
munition cart, containing a relay of barrels and an
ample supply of cartridges, it may be moved from
one part of the field to another by a single horse at
a hand gallop. The general affirms that one of
these field-pieces, which may be served effectually
by eight men, allowing for casualties, 'will throw
in a more deadly fire than a body of 200 infantry
armed with the best description of rifles in exist-
ence, and that the ratio of its destructiveness, as
compared with ordinary infantry firing in line, is
as 75 per cent. against 4. In addition to their use
in ordinary field service, these machines, mounted
upon a pivot instead of the wheels, may be employed
with great effect in boat service, as an armament
for ships' tops, Martello towers, or other works -of
defence. The inventor, in a printed prospectus
. describing generally the advantages of this new
weapon, says:
" With regard to the economy, efficiency, and pre-
cision of the fire of the new field-piece, compared
. with the desultory fire of infantry in action, there
can be little doubt. A company of a regiment has a
nominal roll of 100 men, but a company when in ac-
tion seldom musters 70 bayonets, presenting a front
of 35 men. When the fight begins, the men are
• fidgety; there is a certain confusion always in the
.hurry of action, and soldiers are not tile mere
machines they appear inHyde-park. The rear rank,
being have great difficulty in firing, so the
greafer number of their shots are in the air ; and
out of the 70 barrels discharged, certainly not mere
than 15 balls will take effect upon the enemy, if half
so Much ; that is to say, 05 men of the 70 are ineffi-
cient, whilst the 70 men represent the nominal roll
piece
of 100, or a.money value of ,
hand, with six or eight
£lO 000 ; the new
of artillery, on the other
experienced men, representing a money value of
£l,OOO, or £1,200, rapidly discharges showers of
bullets with nearly mathematical prec.:aon , :Ind it
is not too much to say that 40 balls out of every
50 discharged will take effect upon the enemy.
Thus a regiment of a thousand strong, costing the
country in money value £lOO,OOO, on the most
favOurable showing, can only produce an effective
fire of 150 bullets, whilst this new weapon of war,
costing' comparatively little, and well served by six
or eight experienced men, at a money value of
£l,OOO or £1,200, will throw in a more deadly fire
of 80 in less time, and with the further advantage
of quick repetition. Such is the value of this in-
vention as compared with infantry. If it can be
shown that, by the introduction of artillery, of this
_nature, a saving of 20 per cent, only could be made