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Artillery in No. V (Kimberley) District should have an armament of 6-15-pr. B.L. guns. For the remaining two batteries-the Cape Permanent Artillery and King William's Town Cape Artillery-the Committee concur in the recommendations of the Commission that the armament should in each case consist of 6-2·5-in. R.M.L. guns. Against the proposal of the Commission to provide five batteries with an armament of 8--15-pr. B.L. and 18-2.5-in. R.M.L. guns the Committee, therefore, suggest four batteries armed with 12--15-pr. B.L. and 12-2·5-in. R.M.L. guns.

With regard to a suitable field mounting for the 2-5-in. R.M.L. guns, the Colonial Defence Committee are informed that the Government of Natal have recently obtained from Sir W. G. Armstrong and Co. four field-carriages and limbers for guns of this nature to meet the special requirements of the Colony, but that in consequence of the General Officer Commanding in South Africa not having reported entirely in favour of these stores, a design for a field mounting for a 25-in. R.M.L. gun is now being got out in the Ordnance Factories at Woolwich, which it is hoped will prove more suitable to the conditions of South Africa.

Before leaving this branch of the subject, the Colonial Defence Committee think it desirable to allude to another alternative which they have considered for the armament of the Cape Artillery, viz., the adoption for all batteries in the Colony of the 12-pr. B.L. gun of 6 cwt. This is the Horse Artillery gun of the Imperial service and the gun that has been adopted for the new armament of the Canadian Artillery. It is somewhat less powerful than the 15-pr., but more mobile, the weight behind the teams, without gunners on the axletree boxes, being somewhat over 30 cwt. The main objection to this gun in the present instance would be its expense, double that of the 25-in. If, however, the Cape Government decided on its general adoption, arrangements could doubtless be made with the Home Govern- ment for them to take over from the Colony the three 124 cwt. guns that have already been purchased.

19. Page 18, paragraph 88.--The Committee would point out that some form of fittings, which should be prepared beforehand, would probably be required to fit local carts for carrying ammunition.

20. Page 18, paragraph 89.—The proposal made in this paragraph and in para- graph 91 to utilize as reserve artillery weapons said to be useless (vide paragraph 86 of the Commission's Report), and requiring special ammunition, does not commend itself to the Committee.

21. Page 18, paragraph 90.—Should the Cape Government accept the proposal of the Commission to provide two batteries of four guns each for Peninsula Defence, the Colonial Defence Committee do not recommend for adoption the suggested organiza- tion of the 2nd and 3rd (Prince Alfred's Own) Cape Artillery. With one Major to command the two they would practically form a single 8-gun battery. It would be better to have them quite independent of one another as far as battery organization goes, each under a Major. It is suggested in paragraph 95 of the Report that the training of the two batteries should be directly under the supervision of the O. C. Colonial Artillery, which makes it unnecessary to have one commanding officer for the two batteries.

22. Page 18, paragraph 93.-The Colonial Defence Committee are unable to concur in the recommendation of the Commission that portable shields should be supplied for the guns of the Cape Artillery, at least for those armed with the 2-5-in. R.M.L. guns.' They consider that there are other objections to the use of these shields in addition to their weight. For instance, they must increase the visibility of the guns behind them, while in the case of R.M.L. guns two numbers must be in front of the shield.

23. Page 19, paragraph 96.-The Colonial Defence Committee observe that the number of Garrison Artillery proposed for the Peninsula, viz., 800, is somewhat in excess of the actual requirements of the case. In connection with the general question of the garrisons for British Fortresses and Coaling Stations abroad they recently laid down the number of artillery necessary at each station on the basis of one complete relief for each gun of the approved armament, except light quick-firing guns, for which they considered that two should be provided. On this basis the require-

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