THE MITRAILLEUR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 719, 12 September 1870, Page 3

THE MITRAILLEUR.

France introduced the rifled field gun into the campaign of 1659 against Austria, the Austrians having no weapons of tbat nature in the field. The Prussians were all armed with breach-loaders in the war of 1866, the Austrians being entirely armed with muzzleloaders. The French are about to introduce the mitrailleur into the war of 1870. As far

as is at present known the Prussians have not yet adopted an arm of the kind, though it has been no secret for a long time that, in various countries, the arm has been constructed in various patterns. The Montigny weapon is an assemblage of barrels contained in a wrought iron tube, mounted much on the same principle a? an ordinary field gun, which it resembles somewhat in form. To this a massive breech action is attached, sliding between heavy iron plates. This is controlled by a jointed lever, and contains a simple contrivance for the separate and successive ignition of the cartridges. The cartridges are carried in steel plates, perforated with holes, corresponding in numbi-r and position to the chambers of the barrels, of wbich inde3d,when in position, these holes form portions, being bored and floished with the same tools, and at the same time as the chambers themselves. When the cartridges are dropped into the plates they stand out at right angles in the proper position for introduction into the chambers of the gun. Grooves formed on the face of the breechblock receive the plate, which being dropped into thera now advances or is retired with the breech block itself. When the weapon is set at full cock, ready for firing, a second of time ia sufficient to give a complete revolution of the firing handle, and to discharge the whole of the 37 barrels of which the weapon consists. Whon the one set of 37 cartridges has been fired, the gunner raises the loading lever, thereby opening the breech, and withdraws the empty cases by means of the plate, which now performs the part of extractor of 37 cartridges in one. Tlie plate is lifted from its grooves, carrying with it the empty cases, and can immediately be replaced hy a plate filled with loaded cartridges, and the operation is repeated. This weapon has been fired 12 times in a minute, throwing thereby 444 rifle shots in that time. The waggon and limber boxes at present carry 3034 rounds of cartridge, but could readily carry more. A year ago the French miirailleur batteries were already numerous. They consisted of eight guns each, each gun served by '" three men only," chosen from the noncommissioned officers of the Horse Artillery of tli3 Imperial Guard. With this complement of men the weapon should throw about " 300 shots per minute for five or six consecutive minutes," to very considerable ranges, and with an admirable trajectory. In the experiments at Woolwich with the Montigny mitrailleur, 36 Bhots out of 37 (one was a miss fire) were placed in a target 18ft by 15ft, at 800 yards distance ; and the practice at 1003 yards was nearly equally good. If theu, as there is reason to believe, the French army has now taken the field liberally equipped with such terribly destructive weapons, we may reasonably anticipate an effect at least as great as was the effect of the breech-loaders in the war of 1866. Taking all circumstances into consideration, we are disposed, with a wallinformed writer some short tirre ago, to place the value of a single mitrailleur rather above than below that of 120 infantry. Supposing thiß calculation to be correct, a French battery of eight miirailleurs would equal in value an ordinary infantry regiment, whilst there would be this advantage, that only 24 men would be exposed to the enemy's fire instead of 960.