The Press. — London, England, 1857-04-25 00:00:00

4O subject, as well as on the aggregate, be publicly known, and let the order of merit decide the order of appointment to provisional commissions. From this point let that special training commence (at Sandhurst or elsewhere) which is to qualify for professional duties, and the result of which, on an examination at the end, say of two years, is to decide into which branch of the service (if any) each individual is to be admitted. On this principle, a public schoolboy destined for the army will feel throughout his school-life that every day's attention to his appointed work at school is telling directly upon his professional success. Do not attempt, I would say, to define beforehand what he must know in order to pass the first examination for the army, but try what he does know, and judge from that whether he gives promise of doing well what he will have to do hereafter. Dr. Vaughan then touches upon the point of compe titive examinations, as being the system best adapted to stimulate candidates for the army to make the best use of their time and abilities, and concludes as follows : Nor, again, would I desire to pitch too high the intel• lectual standard itself. But I see no fear of this. The question rather is—suprosing that the very same class of men are to enter the army who enter the army now—how can they be most effectually induced to make the most of such abilities as they possess, and of such educational ad vantages as are given them? And I am convinced that this will best be done ( I ) by having them examined, not in special subjects prepared for the occasion, but in such subjects as their boyhood has been professedly spent in studying ; and (2) by their being stimulated by at least a moderate system of competition to desire to get a high place among those who may have been educated in the same way, and are now candidates fir the same profession. If the number of nominated candidates were to the number of commissions actually competed for but in the ratio of three to two, and if the names of those examined were arterwanls published in order of merit, I believe that the effect upon the early education of our future officers would bi immense. INFANTRY RIFLES. SOME interesting and important experiments have during the last few days been in progress at the Government School of Musketry, Hythe, in order to test the comparative merits of the Whitworth and Enfield rifles. A contemporary this week publishes a full acct.unt of the trial, from which we extract the following, as of considerable interest to all who have the efficiency of our army at heart : The trial, which was one of the most searching and im• partial character, was conducted by Colonel [lay, the able head of the school, and has terminated in establishing beyond all doubt the great and decided superiority of Mr. Whitworth's invention. The Enfield rifle, which was considered so much better than any other as to justify the formation of a vast Government establishment for its special manufacture, has been completely beaten. In accuracy of fire, in penetration, and in range its rival excels it to a degree which hardly leaves room for com parison. The following table gives the best results that have been obtained from ten shots of each arm respectively in the course of the experiments, which have extended over a week in time, and were brought to a close yesterday in the presence of Lord Penzattre and co! a number of military and scientific spectators : Range. Figure Rise. in yards. Elevation. of merit. Deg. Feet. Whitworth .. •• 1 500 I'ls 0.37 Enfield.. .. .. 1 . 32 224 Whitworth .. .. 1 800 2 . 22 10 Enfield.. .. .. 2'45 4 . 11 Whitworth .. .. 1 1,100 3 . 45 2.41 Enfield.. .. .. 4'12 8 . 04 Whitworth .. . • I 5. 4 . 02 Enfield.. .. .. J I ' 4o° 6'20 to 7' No hits. Whitworth .. . • 1 1,880 6'40 11 6'2 Enfield.. .. . It would appear from these figures that at 500 yards in lOshots the Manchester rifle has a superior accuracy of 1.87 of a tint ; at 800 yards 3 11 ; at 1,100 yards 5 . 63 ; and that at 1,4011 yards and upwards the Enfield weapon ceases to afford any data for a comparison. In penetration the re sults obtained have been equally decisive ; the Whitworth projectile with the regulation charge of powder going through thirty-three half inch planks of elm, arid being brought up by a solid cak bulk beyond, while the Enfield bell could not get past the thirteenth plank. The shooting on Tuesday was more to satisfy Lord Pan more and the other strangers present upon the comparative merits of the two weapons than to show the limit of what each could do under favourable circumstances. Still, the targets of every ten shots on either side bore decisive evi• dence of the superiority of the new rifle, as a glance at the following table will prove : Figure Ride. Range Ele7ation. lof merit. —........ _____. Deg. Feet. Whitworth .. .. 1 1 800 1 2 . 24 1 . 41 Enfield.. .. .. 2 . 45 ti. 67 Whitworth .. .. t 1 500 1• • • • ! 1 . 27 Enfield.. .. .. 1 ( 830 Whitworth .. .. 1 t .500 { I liS Enfield.. .. .. ' • ' • 1 401 The last entry in the table records the mean radial distaste* from a central point of ten shots fired from a ~..., THE PRESS. table•rest by Colonel Hay and Mr. Guner, the manager of the Enfield factory. Both are first rate marksmen, yet at 500 yards the Manchester rifle in the hands of the former gives three times as good shooting as the latter can get out of the Government arm. All the other trials were made by firing from a beautifully constructed machine rest, which placed both weapons on a footing of perfect equality as to the conditions under which they were tested. In addition to the foregoing experiments, there was one for ►howing that with cylindro•convoidal calls on the expansion principle of those used for the Enfield rifle very superior shooting could be obtained from Whitworth's hexagonal bore. This was most satisfactorily established, the mean deviation on the target from the centre of the group of ten hits being only 'B5 of a foot at 500 yards' range. It will be observed that at 800 yards' range, at which the practice commenced, the shooting of Whitworth's rifle was so much better than the other that no greater distance was attempted. A reference to the first table of experiments will also demonstrate that the target made by the former weapon at 1,100 yards is nearly as good as that made by the latter at 500. These are great results to have achieved, and amply justify the forethought of the late Lord Hardinge in se curing the services of so eminent a mechanic as Mr. Whitworth for the improvement of the rifle. Until he took the subject in hand the proper principles for guidance in the construction of the weapon bad not been accurately determined. The manufacture was still conducted by rule of thumb, and in a very haphazard way on the most important points. The uses of grooves and an expansive projectile made it impossible to secure the requisite amount of pitch in the rifling and the indispensable hardness of metal in the bullet for penetration. Moreover, from the small amount of bearing, the wear and tear both in the barrel and in the projectile were enormous, and the length of the latter could not be increased without causing it to capsise in its flight. By the polygonal bore and rapid pitch to which the form of the bullet accurately conforms Mr. Whitworth has rendered stripping impossible, and, his rifle when fired acting exactly like a male and female screw, the projectile must rotate with perfect steadiness and precision on its axis. He can increase its length so considerably as to secure space for converting it into a shell if necessary, and being able to use metal of any degree of hardness, he can adapt its form and strength erectly to the work which it has to perform. Thus, with a rifle 39 inches long and half-inch bore, having a turn in 20 inches, or two turns in its length, he finds no difficnlty in pene trating a wrought-iron plate 6-10ths of an inch thick or cutting a core out of a piece of solid timber half a foot thick ; and some idea may be formed of the extraordinary power of his arm when we mention that hie projectiles in their flight rotate at the rate of 1),00;) revolutions per minute. The question of driving holes in the 4-inch breastplates of floating batteries is at once solved by the application of these principles to artillery, the construction of which this new rifle proves must be completely revolu tionised. A weapon which in expert hands will make good practice at 1,400 yards, and the range of which can be very easily helped by a telescope if necessary, gives the coup de-grace to our present system of field batteries. A SINGULAR STORY OF AN AUTO-DA.FE is told of a body of itinerant Capuchin monks of Grasse, in the department of the Var. A short time since one Father Archange mounted the pulpit and pro nounced a furious discourse against philosophers and romance writers. Not only Alexandre Dumas, Eugene Sue, Georges Sand, and Balzac, but even MM. Thiers and Lamartine were denounced by name. Among newspapers the Dibate and Siecle were stigmatised as unfit for Christian reading. At the conclusion of a fierce invective the monk called upon his hearers, as they valued their eternal salva tion, to deliver up to the parish priest, within twenty four hours, all books, pamphlets, journals, and printed papers whatsoever not approved by the bishop which might' be in their possession. Pur suant to this mandate a large proportion of the population of the town came by night to the church door, and there, through an aperture provided by the cure, they furtively threw down their sinful literature. The next day, which happened to be Holy Thursday, a grand auto-dale was celebrated in one of the public places of the town. The devoted books and newspapers were packed upon a large funereal pile. Two copies of Lamartine's "Jocelyn," one of "La Chute d'un Ange," a complete set of M. Thiers' " History of the French Revolution," very many volumes of Balzac, Dumas, and Eugene Sue, a copy of M. Senator Merimee's "Colomba," M. Michelet's works, and Jules Simon's " Religion Naturelle," were remarked among the collection, which comprised an immense number of plays, vaudevilles, and illustrated publications. At nine in the evening, all being pre pared, the clergy preceded by two infant choristers, each bearing a silver cross covered with a black veil, advanced in procession to the place of execution. Some " bad books," which had been brought in at the last moment, were carried by beadles in baskets hung with black. The cortege marched slowly and silently, lighted by torches and wax candles. The beadles having emptied their baskets into the con demned mass of books and papers, the pile was lighted and the whole consumed, while the monks chanted Parce Dotnine. THE MAGNIFICENT ILLUMINATIONS OF ST. PETER'S, AT ROME, and the famed girandola fireworks on Easter Monday, were postponed this time in conse quence of the non-arrival from Nice of her Imperial Majesty the Dowager Empress of Russia. Her Majesty was daily expected at Rome. SATURDAY, Ifortign anb Colonial 3ntttligtur, FRANOF.. THE NEUFCHATEL CONFERENCES. The Conference met on Monday evening for the eighth time, when Count Walewski presented the propositions drawn up by the four powers. After a long discussion Count de Hatsfeldt and Dr. Kern declared that their limited powers rendered it neces sary that they should refer to their respective Governments. Dr. Kern, after being received by the Emperor of the French, left for Berne the follow. ing day. The general impression in Paris is, that the solution of this mismanaged question is at length at hand. The conditions of the arrangements pro posed are said to embrace an indemnity to Prussia of 1,000,000 f., and the continuance of the title of Pr.nce of Neufchatel. The Indipendance Be:fie gave the following as the substance of a memorial laid before the Neufchatel Conference by Dr. Kern, in answer to the demands of Prussia : The only point on which the Swiss Plenipotentiary is nearly in accord with the Prussian demands is as regards the amnesty. M. Kern admits the principle of an amnesty, and is also willing that it should extend to all political and military offences anterior to the repression of the insurrec• tional movement of September, 1536. On all other points the difference .is marked and de• cisive. M. Kern declares that Switzerisn't will not conce le to the King of Prussia the title of Prince of Neufchatel, because the King's renunciation of his sovereignty ought to be entire and without any reserve. He also refuses the required indemnity, because—with. out taking into account the expense which the exercise of the droll.; regaliens will entail upon Switzerland, and which. according to him, would rather authorise the Federal Government to ask for compensation—the Confederation has already spent upwards of five millions in consequence of the royalist insurrection. As to the property of the Church, the Helvetic Plenipo• tentiary affirms that it has never been diverted from its destination, and that, although it has been annexed to the State domain, the State has in return provided for the clergy at a cost amounting to double the income of the property. He adds that he can admit no special stipule• Lion relative to the " foundations," the constitution and laws of the canton having provided for all eventualities, private foundations being regulated by common law, and public foundations being under no pretence whatever to be withdrawn from the regime laid down by the Consti• tution. Finally, as to the Neufchatel constitution itself. which the King of Prussia would maintain, at least for some time, and as to the eleaond rights which he would deprive foreigners of, M. Kern observes in the first place that the Neufchatel constitution is the work of the Neufchatel people themselves, and that the federal authorities have no power to abrogate Article 71, which stipulates that it may be revised at any time under certain fixed conditions; and, secondly, that only Swiss citizens have the right of voting, and that not till after a residence of two years in the canton. The Grand Duke Constantine of Russia arrived at Toulon from Nice on Monday afternoon. His Imperial Highness was received with all the honour due to hie exalted rank : The squadron was not telegraphed until half-past twelve. A great movement was then perceived on board the fleet. The drums beat to arms on board the Bretagne (carrying the admiral's flag) and the other ships, and at three the batteries of the Grosse Tower fired a salute of twenty one Funs. The yards were manned in gallant style on board the fleet. At that moment the Olaf entered the outer harbour. The panoramic view was very magnificent—the clear blue sky, and the heights crowded with spectators ; cries of " Vire l'Ernpereur " and hurrahs filled the air, and the volleys echoed from the hills had au indescribable effect. Scarcely had the smoke caused by the guns of the fleet dispersed, than the 014, which passed between the double line of ships, returned the salute, and hoisted the tri-coloured flag. The steamer stovp , -cl, and the Maritime Prefect, with his staff in the Imperial barge, went along side. The prefect took the order* of the Grand Duke, and returned to shore. In the meantime the troops of the garrison were formed in the arsenal, to pay military honour to the illustrious visitor. The Maritime Prefect and Admiral Trehouart received the Grand Duke on his landing, at a quarter to five. The Grand Duke is de scribed as thirty years of sue, fair, and of middle size. He wore the decorations of St. Andrew and St. George over an admiral's uniform. His Highness passed through the lines formed by the troops in the arsenal, the band playing Queen Hortense's air, " Partant pour la Syne," and the drums beating an Imperial salute. He then stepped into the prefect's carriage and drove to the pre fecture's, where the principal officers of the army were presented to his Imperial Highness. Next morning the Grand Duke Constantine visited the arsenal, military port, and Imperatrice Eugenie frigate. In the afternoon the Prince went out to the squadron, and passed two hours on bard the admiral's flag-ship, which he examined most minutely, and expressed the greatest satisfaction at all he saw. He returned to shore at half-past five, and in the evening was present at a dinner of thirty covers given at the Maritime Prefect's. The Grand Duke will arrive in Paris on Thursday, April the :30th, and will remain to May the 18th. During his stay there will be fetes in Paris and at Fontainebleau, a grand ball at the Tuileries, a grand