The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-23 00:00:00

Till PAMOTT GUNS.

The following &Mu ,geararning the bursting of
the Parrett pus are from Major Poore's letter to the
Boston Journal :
" The unprendested Ladino' the Parrott pan end on
hoard at the fleet is a far ISOM serious question for solutios
than the fetters of the powder remeL We have at pesesat
is the United States nary 1,005 ot theme cannon. of defamed
calibres, and in fork they are the only rifled pm used, ex.
oept the bronco 12-nuaders and 20-poundere of Admiral
Dahlgren. 'The Ices of these Parrott pm, prior to the
attack epee Fort Fisher had oar been twenty-three ; of
these six pre way at the breech. four were broken by
the explosion of shells near the muule, excessive
cracked in the body, two were coodemned for
enlargement at Tent, "even were loet by wreck, and three
were captured by the rebels. Yet after this small per
centage of low by rupture and enlargement these Parrott
Runs Last at different times) proved more dangerous for
those who fired them then to the gamma of Fort
Fisher. No vessel en be taken suoceerfally into actin
armed with pieces of which the crew must be afraid,
and width they most untmally be unwilling to fire.
'Commodore Was, the able chief of the Naval
Bateau of Ordnance, in his last annual report, pre
the statistics of the Parrott rifled pus in the service,
and went on to remark that no rifled pa has been
considered perfect.' but that the Barran bid seaght to
vain pang the "paw of European nation, aid
the improvements of our owe country for a better gun,
taken as a whole, than the Parrott rifle. Said he—
` It is true that reports are coessionlly received of failures
with the Parrott projectiles (ales prepared at the West
Point Foundry), but these are again counterbalanced by the
most favourable reports ; and it is certain that whenever a
close attention is paid to details in loadieg and firing, these
guns may be relied upon for range and woman. But if
these details, from say 011n10, are not snlifilientL *Leaded
to; the firing of no red gun can be considered safe or sw-
im. At all arena. whatever may be the defects of the
Parrott system of rifled ordnance, no other has yet been
produced which commends itself so gangly to the 'orrice
and until another and a better on is devised and subjected
to the sun ordeal, the Busses will continue to place its
guns is the batteries of ships u larpoetant auxies to
the smooth-bore pivots.'
" Special orders have been issued by Commodore Wise,
Impressing upon officers in charge of then Parrott guns the
importer)°, of exenising great cum to keep the grooves
cleared of ill residuum and dirt. Moist sponges were to be
invariably used, and the base of every project le fired was to
be carefully greased. From the know' character of the
officers commanding the vessels upon which the gen ex.
ploded, there is every reason to believe that than &menses
were observed, end that the pas wen wirehair end well
loaded. Yet the department has received amounts of de-
itiorable results of tins battle-teat. which Ma hat impels the
',efficiency of our whole navy, awl I learn that isorselishety
.on the reception of the report et Oommostere Poems anima
were issued to atop the report
of any men gons ;WA a
eemplete lavestiwitioa had roe place."

0111117 AZ Pares HAir-Cioww DAY.
SATURDAY, JAR. 21.—Admiskr is puma% 73‘ ; ditto
,by sums thitalsAlfle; NSA SMIL