British Bayonets. Effects of Active Service Upon Different Varieties.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 111, 18 July 1885, Page 6

British Bayonets. Effects of Active Service Upon Different Varieties.

Thk special correspondent of the London i( Daily Telegraph" who accompanied the British troops in their advance toward Khartoum gives his impressions regarding the British bayonet and the Martini-Henry rifle. As to the former, he writes :—: — " It was at El Teb that I was first struck with the inferior quality of the English bayonet and sword-bayonet. I determined before writing about the matter to watch it in vee once more. At Tamai, in the rush and scurry, it was put to a severer test than anywhere else in the Soudan. In that battle the Hadendowas, as they rushed out of their grass cover with their short spears, fairly pitched themselves upon the weapons of our black Watch and Sixty-fifth. The triangular bayonet of times bent and twisted. On the whole, however, it stood i the test better than the sword-bayonet, I think. Like the eword-bayonet, it often bent like hoop iron when a thrust was made if a bone interposed, and became corkscrewed in the struggle. It has two serious drawbacks, not so observable in the swordbayonet. The wound it makes is slight, so that a fanatical savage or infuriated man requires several thrusts before he is placed hors de combat, giving him a chance to run amuck among civilised troops. In the second place, the triangular bayonet, when thrust violently, goes too far, and there is great difficulty in freeing it. At Tamai a stalwart soldier hooked Ma opponent in such a manner that he had to draw the body twenty yards, as we were retreating, before liberating his weapon. This was the most conspicuous instance of the kind I Baw, but it was by no means the only one. The Bword-bayonet has weight without breadth, and, with the cutlass, frequently lacks temper. I have seen a blue- jacket's cutlass sword-bayonet at Tamai, as well as some of the battles up the Nile, bend into a semicircle, and remain in that shape, unfitting it for a second 'point. The use it was put to did not justify the givipg way of the weapon. The fact that it did not regain its form further proved the quality of the blade was of the poorest. What I have said of the bad quality of the cutlass applies equally to the sword-bayonet. Many a soldier at Abu v Klea saw with dismay his bayonet rendered useless at the moment when there | was no chance to load his, rifle, and when he most stood in need of its services. There also I saw sword-bayonets bend ; and twist with the facility of soft iron rather, than steel. Alter that fight you might have noticed brawny foot-guardmen, herculean life- guardsmen, and the deft fighters of the mounted infantry, all of whom had stood shoulder to shoulder in , the, s.quare, straightenig their bayonets across their Icnee or under foot. Others there were who discarded their distorted weapons and picked up some dead comrade's from the field."..

A brass band has been engaged to play regularly at a New Yorkt church. It is pretty hard' to get New Yorkers into church, but this may do it. "I don't think say religion, will be any obstacle 1 to our union,"fhe urged],. >f* I am a spiritualist. " "lam afraid >it will," she replied. "Papa is a teetotaller,, you know,." '" m "< r' . m ..'i^.

A letter was read from Mr E. P >c.l, local mineral water and cordial manufactarer, requesting that the sole right of making use of the' springs for bottling purposes be granted him, and m royalty fixed by the Board for the amount taken away. The letter was discussed at consider- j able length, the members of the Board fully recognised the fact that Mr Poel has been to considerable trouble and expense in making known time waters in his own particular line, and it was stated (hat he had sent cases of the waters, after having been eerated, to Auckland nnd oilier places where they had found ready sale at the hotels, etc. Mr Peel has also sent three or four cases of the waters, as an exhibit to the Industrial Exhibition, to be held at Wellington. Having these facts in view the Boird q •nerally expressed n wish to act libo'-nlly towards Mr Peel, still keeping in m\v\t it mi lit not be well to permit a monopoly, at least not for any very long term, n-i stt-h mi.ght prove detrinental to the interests of the place. It was ultimately decided to l,'t the tnittef stand over to a future meeting, xrhon it was to 1* hoped all Members of the Board would be present. A letter was rend ffrru 3Vfr F. C. D'ni, Towr Cli«rk» Thnm.*, r<»o, noting that an ex ti'<it lie sent to the forthcom r * exhibition at Wellington, to whom h teply had been forwarded informing liim that such had already been despatched by Mr Peel. A number of accounts were passed for payment, including t le following : — £17 to Mr Win. Hethrington for carting ; £13 10s to Mr Ros« for trees, including planting, etc. ; £5 to Thames Advertiser for fifty copies of the by-laws on calico ; £4 4s to Auckland Star for alvertising, the total accounts passed amounting to £47 8s 7d. Leave of absen c was granted to the © iretaker for one week.