MR. STANLEYsaid, that, in accordance with the rule laid down by Mr. Speaker, he should explain the question which he was about to put, by stating a few simple reasons for putting it. That he might be in order, he should move that the House at its rising adjourn to Monday.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, that of course 712 if the hon. Member persisted in the Motion he must put it, but the hon. Member must be aware that, in putting a question, by the rules of that House he must confine himself to such few remarks as were necessary to render it intelligible.
MR. STANLEYsaid, that was all he meant to do; but, as the feeling of the House was against him, he would merely ask the Under Secretary for War if the various plans submitted to the War Department during the late war, of attaching the cap to the cartridge, or other contrivance obviating the troublesome necessity of the soldier having to bite the cartridge, have received the attention of the Secretary of State for the War Department, and if any of them is likely to be adopted?
§ SIR JOHN RAMSDENsaid, it was quite true that a very ingenious contrivance had been submitted to the consideration of the Government to obviate the necessity of the soldier biting the cartridge in loading his musket, but certain objections in detail rendered its adoption impracticable. The object, however, had been obtained in another way. The cartridges for the new Enfield rifles were made in such a way as to open by the hand, and when that rifle had been supplied to the whole of the army there would be no necessity for the soldiers to bite the cartridge at all.