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

NEW 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 accom7
plish this object with the least amount of risk to
thoparty using it. The invention, which was ex-
hibited on Monday to a select party of gentlemen
of the military profession and the representatives of
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 axle, 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 70 per cent. against 4. In addition to their use
in ordinary field service, these machines, mounted
upon a pivot instead ofthe 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 the mere
machines the'
appear in Hyde-park. The rear rank,
being.short,
ave greatdifficulty
in firing, so the
greater number of discharged,ther shots are in the air ; and
certainly not more
i
out of the 70 barrels
than 15 balls will take effect upon the enemy, if half
so Much ; that is to say,
55 men of the 70 are ineffi-
cient, whilst the 70 men represent l the new pieceie nominal roll
of 16i0, or a money value of ,Elo,ooo
of artillery, on the other hand, with six or eight
experienced men, representing
a money value of
£l,OOO, or £1,200, rapidly discharges showers of
bulliets with nearly mathematical precision,_ w
aenv(cliyt
is not too much to say. that 40 balls out of
50 ',discharged will take effect upon the enemy.
strong, Thus a regiment of a thousand
costing thecountrycountry in money value £lOO,OOO, on the most
tivourable showing, can only produce an effective
are of 150 bullets, whilst this new weapon of war,
recasting comparatively little, and well served by six
•or eight experienced men, at a money value of
_fl,ooo or £1,200, will throw in a more deadly fire
of 80 in less time, and with the further advantage
,of , rick repetition. Such 'is the value of this in-
's en Lion as compared with infantry. If it can be
shov, rn that, by y the introduction of artillery of this
natu. fp, a saving of 20 per cent. only could be made