Mr. Stanhope, in distributing the regimental and other prizes to
the Bloomsbury Rifle Volunteers, has announced that the distribution to the Army of the new magazine-rifle (which is a weapon of far greater precision than the Martini, and also one that does not kick) would begin next week, and that he expected a very great improvement in the shooting from the use of the new weapon. The authorities had not yet satisfied themselves that any smokeless powder could be obtained free from other defects, and they were distributing at present cartridges charged with small compressed pellets of black powder, which would be found far better than any that had hitherto been issued. The smokeless powder was still the subject of careful experiments; but in the ease of an Army like the English, which is scattered all over the world, and which must be supplied from great distances and a long time before the powder is used, it is of the very greatest importance not to serve out any powder of which the enduring quality has not been fully tested by ample trial. That is obviously common- sense. There are qualities of powder which would be desirable enough if they could be combined with the stability which is the first requisite for a powder that must be exposed to so great a range of temperature, and often kept unused for very long periods.
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