Sir,
From
Enclosure 1.
C.O.
Letter of Command 17042
NECO
3 JUL 19
The Commandant Hong Kong Volunteer Corps. The D. A. A. G. and C. S. O.
601
China.
Hong Kong, 5th April 1899.
I have the honour to request that you will be good enough to lay before the Major General the following proposal for the re-armament of the Field Battery of the Corps under my command.
The Field Battery is at present armed with the 7 pr R. M. L. Gun of 200 lbs; and it is felt to be prejudicial to the efficiency of the Corps to be armed with so obsolete a Gun. Of Service guns, there are none at present which would seem to be suitable for the requirements of a Volunteer Battery in this Colony. The island being so hilly and the paths off the main roads being usually very narrow, some sort of mountain gun is absolutely necessary. It would be also most desirable to have a breach-loading gun, and if possible also a fixed ammunition, as the simpler the service of the Gun is made for the Volunteers, the more effective will be their fire.
If it is decided to re-arm the Battery, I would venture to suggest that the following points may be considered in choosing the gun.
(1) That the gun should be light in draught, and mounted on a carriage suitable for man draught, perhaps a minimum of 900 lbs and a maximum of 1000 lbs, including ammunition carried on the gun or limber (if any).
(2) That the gun be a B. L. gun, as affording greater protection to the detachments on the hillside.
(3)