The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-12-20

AT the Royal United Service Institution, White
hail. on Friday, Gen. Vtscount Wolseley presided
over meeting mainly composed OF members Of the
services, assembled 10 hear lecture by Mai. NJ. X.
West, Royal Horse Artillery, advocating tue adop-
ZION Of the onebarrel machine gun (which astredat
Shoeburyness before the machine gun committee In
The winter OF l550sl) for land service. The gun In
question, Gardner, was twice exhibited previous 10
the lecture. The barrel is Of rifle caiibre, with
brass or gun-metal box in the place OF the stock
The feeder is tall, grooyed, upright, metal frame
at right angles to the barrel, and down this frame
the cartridges fall by their own weight. When the
gun received the favor OF the machine gun committee
Il was intended for naval use, and has been used
The lecturer polnted out that there was great nDde
veloped power and value In the machine gun for land
service, and he submitted that there had been tso
much supineness In the matter OF the adaptation OF
these guns 10 the land service. lie urged that the
machine gun should have the service ammunition,
and then proceeded 10 describe the uses 20 which the
gun might be put in all branches OF the land SERVICE
With garrison artillery the value OF the machine
dwelt on their use with the engineers. Then, too,
they could be used in resisting or In covering land.
ings, and he advocated the use OF two In each
squadron OF cavalry, displaying pack on which the
gun might be mounted on horse and further sug-
gested that they coad be used on outposts detached
posts, advance and rear guards, aud for the holding
OF denes and bridges. He also cOntended for the
value OF q machine gun on the Timber OF 9-pOundeT,
limbered up from the attacks Of cavalry and he ex.
planned the working OF the gun by Infantry. LORD
Charles Beresford, who was warmly received, eX-
pressed his great interest in the questions thus SET
before the meeting, and gave some Of his own ex-
perlences with inc machine guns In Egypt, remark
Ing that the trial on land In Alexandria after Inc
IRE was proof Of the possibility Of q small body
armed with machine guns dealing With large bodies
Of people. lie expressed, however, his preference
for machine gun OF the Nordenfelt three or four
barrel type giving the value OF service OF rife
men at once aud tremendous power in the yOlley
firing. He remarked, too, upon the use the French
had made OF the machine gun al sfaX, and added
that the British had not In the service a weapon
which could do similar service lie urged the ne
oessiy Of more general adoption Of the machine
guns In the British service
Maj. Gen. Laurie dwelt upon the immense service
which had been rendered IN the northwestern rebel
lion by machine guns OF the Calling type; and
Admiral Arthur bore testimony 10 The value OF tue
machine gun on board ship speaking particularly OF
the four-barreed NoTdenfelt as a range Under
Gen. smythe expressed his doubts as to the working
OF the machine guns In the field, ana OF the dlnieu-
ties caused by rough ground. After other speakers
LORD WOlseley stated, amid cheers That the army O
this country must have machine guns. and that the
authorities had decided thai the land service was TO
have that armament. The type Of guns was yet to
be decided, and experience would develop the tact.
cal use Of the weapon. Hitherto II had been sup
posed that WOOwlch had stood In the way az an
Obstructive, and therefore he congratulated tile
meeting upon the fact tnat artillery Oiiicer had
brought forward his matter He considered that
the great value OF The machine guns mad been proved
In the Soudan war, but for MS part he would not pin
himself 10 OnebafTel gun regarding II as necessary
That there should be several barrels 10 each gun as
In the Nordenfelt guns, VITA which Lord Beresford
'pumped lead into tue eaemys gunners when
below knanQum tue rescue VI Sir Charles Wilson's
marty had to be elected.