be obtained by giving the cyclists a regular corps formation, it would be undoubtedly wise, at first, as a provisional measure, to take men from the line and detail them for cyclist duty. A general order, issued from the War Department, would make this easy of accomplishment.

Such an order might provide that at every post where there are 50 or more bicycles owned and in use by the enlisted men, of foot organizations, the commanding officer be authorized or directed to organize a company or platoon of voluntary cyclists. The officers thereof should be charged with the instruction of the cyclists, in marching maneuvers, etc., and at the end of two or three months, should report to Army Headquarters, in writing, what they have accomplished; and give such recommendations upon the subject as their experience would indicate. These reports should be placed before a properly constituted board, empowered to draw up rules and regulations for a bicycle corps, select a model military wheel, etc.

Employment of Bicyclists in time of Peace.

It should be made the duty of military bicyclists to prepare maps and obtain information pertaining to all the more important parts of the country. A suitable organization should be able in the course of a few years to prepare accurate maps giving full details of all the main roads of communication in the States, and all the avenues of approach to the Canadian frontier. The road books published by the L. A. W. (League of American Wheelmen), have done a great deal in the way of giving information of our country roads in certain of the more populous states; these would be of great assistance in the duty devolving upon the bicycle corps; but they are not full enough of detail, and the maps are not drawn to a sufficiently large scale to make them suited for the military service.

We can conclude this article in no more appropriate language than the following, which I take from a recent number of the Revue Militaire de l'Etranger.

"Without sharing the enthusiasm of those who fancy they see the transformation of the cavalry into a bicycle corps, it is undeniable that the experiments undertaken in the course of the last maneuvers have singularly enlarged the field of usefulness for which the military bicycle has hitherto been regarded as suitable.

"The terrain will always remain an often time insurmountable obstacle for the machines, which would speedily become unfit for service if they were frequently used outside of the roads.

"But the service of reconnaissance and the rapid transmission of intelligence have had with modern armies such an enormous expansion that they constitute a tremendous drain upon the cavalry, and make it imperative to gather together every possible means to assist it in these duties and render it as strong as possible for combat.

"This rôle, it would seem, can be advantageously filled by detachments of bicyclists, vigorously and skillfully led. Such elements placed at the disposition of the independent cavalry divisions, by increasing their mobility, their security and their effective strength, would indisputably permit results to be obtained the importance of which are beyond denial.

"Thrown out in the advance of the infantry columns on the march, and patrolling far ahead, by day and by night, when the troops are at rest, they would effectively aid, and in case of need might entirely replace, the divisional cavalry, which would thus be free for other employment.

"But such missions cannot be entrusted to groups of cyclists gathered together by chance, without cohesion or special instruction. Physical and mental qualities, as well as previous knowledge of the machine, are elements that must be thought of in recruiting for this service; but it is only through a special course, directed according to a rational and progressive scheme, that we may hope to perfect these qualities, and instill into our military cyclists the necessary knowledge and cohesion to make them fit for the active part that they will undoubtedly be called. upon to play in future wars."

WM. C. DAVIS,

2d Lieutenant, 5th Artillery.

PROFESSIONAL NOTES.

ORGANIZATION.

Referring to the account given in the January-February and the MarchApril issues of this Journal of "An experiment with Militia in Heavy Artillery work," it is to be noted that the following act of the legislature of Massachussetts became a law on May 12, 1897; this is the first step towards creating a Coast Artillery Reserve force.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-seven. An Act to authorize the change of one or more regiments of Infantry to Heavy Artillery.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section twenty-three of chapter three hundred and sixty-seven of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and ninety-three is hereby amended by striking out all of said section after the word "governor" in the sixth line and inserting in place thereof the words "may be changed to heavy artillery and uniformed and instructed as such," so as to read as follows:—

Section 23. The commander-in-chief shall arrange the infantry, artillery and cavalry into regiments, battalions and, when necessary, unattached companies, and not more than two brigades. There shall not be more than six regiments of infantry, one regiment or more of which, at the discretion of the governor may be changed to heavy artillery and uniformed and instructed as such.

The immediate effect of the act will be to change the First Regiment of Infantry into a heavy artillery regiment, and, in course of time, it may be expected that the defences of Boston Harbor will have back of them an ample force of trained artillerymen to reinforce the regular garrisons.

The First Regiment, anticipating this action of the legislature has continued its heavy artillery work through the winter and will encamp at Fort Warren again for a week's practical instruction in August. Officers and men of the regiment are much pleased with the change to heavy artillery, and with the feeling, now given, that it is a permanent duty, take up the study and practice of its details with renewed enthusiasm.

It is to be hoped this example may be followed in other seaboard states. 1st Lieutenant E. M. WEAVER,

2d Artillery.

TACTICS.

Artillery in the Greco-Turkish War.

Whatever opinion we may be disposed to entertain in regard to the importance of the question which has brought the rival forces of the Turks and Greeks into conflict with one another, or whatever may be our respective sympathies, whether with the aspirations of the representatives of the ancient Hellenic race, or with the followers of that prophet whose memory Carlyle

delighthed so much to honor, it cannot be denied that, deplorable as these apparently unnecessary wars are, they serve a useful purpose to the lookerson. Bye-elections are said to be the pulse through which the current of political feeling is indicated; so these miserable little actions, such as that of Yalu, between Japan and China, or the recent events at Mati and in the Malouna Pass, are invaluable as exponents of the relative importance attaching to the various fighting factors of armies and navies in their modernized condition. The lessons taught by the battle of Yalu have long outlived the interest taken in that action; and a careful observer of the development of ideas in recent battleships and cruisers knows how many of the changes made have been the result of experience gained during that sharp but decisive affair. Similarly, although it cannot be otherwise than a matter for sincere regret that a needless war has been entered upon, blood recklessly spilt, and thousands of homes needlessly ruined, we cannot be blamed for taking advantage of the opportunity and for considering the outcome of the whole in so far as it casts a somewhat lurid light upon our own military position.

Several points cannot fail to attract observation. For the past ten years Turkey has paid great attention to the arming of her field artillery. Herr Krupp has had a most active business agent in Constantinople, and not a day passed when the carriage of this agent was not to be seen beneath the portico of the offices of the Minister of War at Stamboul, as often as not without horses attached, for it is the custom of these contractors' agents to put their horses up, and take things very quietly when business is brisk. They never hurry themselves. The result was that a large proportion of the Turkish field artillery was armed with the very latest pattern of Herr Krupp's most powerful field guns, which were infinitely superior in flatness of trajectory and in range to those of the Greek batteries. Moreover, a number of small field howitzers were, we understand, included in their equipment, which inade awful havoc of the retiring Hellenic forces as they were massed in the plains. Apropos of this point, it is interesting to note that our militrry authorities are at last arousing themselves to the importance of arming some of our batteries of artillery with the new 51⁄2 inch rifled field howitzer. An experimental battery was supplied with this very useful weapon more than a year ago; and we understand that the result of practice made with it during experimental trials has been most satisfactory. The shell is of large size, weighing over 60 lbs., and the damage done with such a projectile in earthworks is of course considerable. Two other batteries are now to be equipped with 51⁄2 inch howitzers, and probably others will follow. But these are a mere tithe of what will be required for the exigencies of active service. We seem to be always in the experimental stage. Here is a weapon which is of the most vital importance, as being the only one which can search out effectively the enemy's ordinary field batteries if well placed and screened in any way, which has taken six or seven years to evolve, and yet the batteries armed with it may be counted upon the fingers of one hand. Surely the terrific effect which the superior artillery arm of the Turkish forces has apparently had upon the Greek batteries ought to be a sufficient warning for our supine authorities? We are always quoting the volunteers as filling up the measure of our requirements. What, in the name of common sense, would have been the use of 227,000 volunteers in the Malouna Pass, with batteries of 8.4 centimeter field guns, and 12-cm. howitzers playing upon them from the surrounding peaks, at a range of three miles? Of course, we know there are volunteer artillery batteries. But, armed with muzzle-loading 16-pounders, which their untrained

horses can scarcely drag into action, we should say that they would be more of an encumbrance to an army than a support. We would, therefore, urge upon the Director-General of Artillery the necessity for laying before the Superior Army Board, at the very first opportunity, our requirements in the shape of field artillery, our establishment at the present moment of this invaluable arm being microscopic. At least twenty batteries of 51⁄2 howitzers should be organized, these being in addition to the ordinary strength of the arm in field guns as necessary for divisions and brigades.

Another point that we cannot help adverting to is the tendency of the current of events in Greece to upset, in a measure, the very strong opinions which have been expressed within the past few years upon the exclusive importance of "the command of the sea." During the war now under consideration the Greeks have had absolute sovereignty in this respect, whilst the Turkish ships, though goaded into the Dardanelles by the order of an unscrupulous master who cares not whether his battleships sink or swim, have remained quaking with terror behind the 35 cm. batteries at Chanak, refusing to proceed beyond the mouth of the straits. Nevertheless, the absolute sovereignty at sea possessed by the Greeks has been impotent to help them, owing to the paucity of their land forces. It must not be forgotten, however, that the command of the sea is a phrase of very wide meaning. For an insular people with enormous colonial possessions, sea command assumes a position which has nothing in common with a possibility of raiding an enemy's line, or interrupting his communications. That the Greek fleet has effected nothing of importance teaches no lesson of the smallest value to Great Britain. -The Engineer, April 30, 1896.

ARTILLERY MATERIAL.

a. Guns and Carriages.

The Gledhill Built up Gun.

A new form of built up gun has been designed by Manassah Gledhill of Sir Joseph Whitworth & Co., Limited, of Openshaw, England. The following description is taken from the letters patent recently issued. The design has for its chief object the construction of a gun by building up a series of tubes. hoops or rings so formed, fitted together and united as to insure great strength and durability of the gun while permitting the ready withdrawal or removal of the liner and the insertion of a new liner without injury to or displacement of the other tubes or hoops.

The tubes A, B and hoop C of the gun are respectively indicated by these letters. a is the liner or inner lining of the gun. One important feature of the invention is the employment of peculiarly constructed locking rings bb' between the tubes A B and hoop C at the breech end of the gun, as follows: At the breech end of the gun, between the tubes A and B and between the tube B and hoop C, there is formed a cavity or recess the walls of which will be the surfaces of the tubes, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. On each of these surfaces is cut a screw thread, and into the cavity thus formed is inserted one of the locking rings, which is screw threaded on its inner and outer surfaces, as shown in Fig. 5 or in Fig. 6, to fit the threads in the cavity or recess, into which the ring is tightly screwed. In some instances there are formed segmental or interrupted screw threads on the ring and on the surfaces of the Journal 11.