MR. HERBERTsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether it is the case that the Brigade of Guards have very lately been obliged to abandon the usual annual rifle practice at Aldershot on account of some serious defects iii the ammunition, which it is said caused some of the rifles to burst and others to be so damaged us to be useless; and whether he will state to the House the cause of such serious defects; whether any casualties happened to the men on account of them; how many rifles were, damaged; and what steps will be taken to remedy these evils for the future?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTON, in reply, said, it was true that the usual annual rifle practice of the Brigade of Guards at Alder-shot had been interrupted in consequence of five accidents that occurred to the rifles. He believed that that practice was going to be immediately resumed; but he was not prepared to admit that the accidents were caused by any serious defects in the ammunition. One barrel burst, and the other four guns were slightly damaged. The authorities had endeavoured to trace the cause; and certainly in one case, and he believed in more, the cause was the accidental use of cartridges invented when the Snider was first adopted, but which were condemned us defective. At the same time, in one of the five capes it was proved that one of the cartridges now in use was defective, and in consequence 7,000 cartridges were sent down for immediate 655 trial, one in ten being opened and closely examined. From the result of the trial he was disposed to believe that the accidents must be rather classed among those casualties which from time to time would happen in the use of firearms. An inquiry was now being prosecuted with the view of ascertaining whether any improvement could be made in the general construction of the cartridge, and he could assure the House that no pains would be spared to make the cartridges supplied to the army as safe and as useful as possible. One of the men was slightly hurt, but no serious casualty occurred.