The Express.
London, England, 1860-02-17 00:00:00

TRIAL OF JIM
_WHITWORMIS RIFLED

CANNON.

The first experimental trials of the sages and
eccsrsoy of Mr. Wltiterarth's bresch4sedies csason, having
the peculiar hexagonal bore sal firing the loss si:•sided
Nee, which form the ben of that gentleman's prineiple of
rifled ordnance, were made at Southport on Wednaday sad
Thursday. The results, which have been so hag toned
hrward to with agora= by artillerymen sad miners,
are stated by the coerespendent of the Tines to here sur-
prised the most suaglos expectation. The encore, la
Act, "was really esteanding. The amino* of fire and
length of reap obilisi hem trifling dams of powder
were so teeny beyond whet has rear yet been attained,
that it is evident we ere apes the eve of emeether molar*
la et relating to solentifie granary, sad that even the
greatest remits which ban my bra &Mad from the
Armstrong gun are likely to be is tarn seepessed by Mr.
Wldtwortit's ordnance."

Ice the firing with the 12-pounder Ithipthe, the reap, se
at lithetheyeses, was marked out by 0110111111 poles placed
1000 yards apart for • total disease of 10,000 peas Went
Mae), having short sticks plead in the road at every
Madrid yards between the chief poet. The day w Me,
sad, though rather doll at the eommeaseent, desired up
towards 1 o'clock. (kill, for the immemes dame is which
the reap extended, it was difficult to see sisything at all
biped the pole which Indicated 4,000 pad; thiserh, as sack
was fixed in • preen line behind the other,
the gm had only to be laid with • peeper dopes of
sieved= to reach the most distant peat. WM the
12-pounder, however, no experiments have yet beta made
expressly to test the reap, and m Wiessida_y a
siz-het serge with a two-het baffie-ge wee hoisted at I,COO
yards, to show the issi seem of ire be. Two the. were
allowed to lay the gun sad Smiths singe, the NOOMI of Mack
peed between the target sad the pole which Mid it. Of
the eight which were them the/ ell mat ttheagh the One
within a space of four het memo sad two through the
bales-me, which, fres the Wm where the pa wee fired,
Wind seereely bigger then • ales limiL la this result
then wee nothing seemislitag to these who have stn the
Armee"( fired, or ems the my but prudes meth now
and this with ismealt-keel Mid artillery . The amp was
N amass of powder,e the Bevies dirge fer an miter, gm
el the ems calibr bang 66 omen With the 111
=however, the Mee aid meaty of the she
eammens ; the light we low, the ricochet
eawitL= neerly ewers to the apt, In the
Om Ark of the riding. Os shot. after peseta(
them" the Moth first greed the lead at 2,2100 yards, then
win at 3,1100 after width k went ea rhashetreag ekes the
dm% twathing eery or N. psis, midi it berhd
itself MID pede hem dle pass ether* it was diecharged.
TM elewat of tote 1111, at which the recoil
wee wry bale, the wee bra than that of an ordi-
' nem sail seise eesmkmed by the flight of
the the oemperehely my slight. Os. man served the
gm with the alma is., Mad/swim with mew nippers
the tin cartridge en from the breech atter each shot.
What 10 made ked be. Sheds with the leeelle we bevel
steed, tram the I,ll.peameer pa, the light 3-poseder
me ran breed by two am and the practice wee am-
mead at the pale at 4,000 yards, or very nearly
two miles end a half disteat. This range I.
consteatly efteised hy the N mad hag 31-poundere
in the serwies, elan they get aa elevehe of some 26 or 30
degrees, and are charged with 10Ib. or 161 b. of powder. The
rap d 4.000 Tads, ceder them circumstances, is, es we
have said, often Waste; be practice at • Nark at each •
distance Is never bused K. The length of Whitwortles '
12- pounder, we should ham mentioned, fe about aix hot;
its bore nearly dues Wiese; and the pitch or tea of the
rifling the mere as the of all his light pas, measly,
as cAmplete tern la 40 lathes; or, roughly melds', the
shot makes asarly tee ...pest:rivolutime eis its axle
before it leaves the pa. The bore of the 2-pommier
is goat 11 lathes disesseer ; its rider, of muse, is at
the aim
beset
big the length of the gm brim shorter—
about 6 het 2 fashes--the shot a met tared so
mob bake it haves. Preece, them, with this 3-peader
canaries/ Ma 111 depose stream at 4,000 psis, the
charge Meg only OMNI mama sad a half of powder. The
leakier henrys of the gm were the gem as we have
boded Ia ths 11-parader, amp est as no worked the
gun with meth greeter seer keg it, without the least
attempt at hurry, four times to than it., tektites The
sound of the pc jostle also wes scareely reffible. The fret
shot flied entered the seed at 4,171 mode Nthars, and only
sex ystds to the left of the Ms; the mead struck at 4,179
yards at only four yarde the left ; the third at 4,224 yards,
end five yards to the left; sad the fourth at 4,122 yards, at
two yard. irces the lie.
The itheatica wee them altered to 29 degrees, the same
charge of 7* moose being condoned for the range of posts,
here 6,000 so 7,000 rads distant. The first shot at this
tremeadons nage reek the sand at 6,760 yards, tad wily
five yards es the left of the true line. The • struck at
6,78 t and 12 yards hoes the true line In the snot direction ;
the third, at 6.720, was 16 yards oat of the line. This
theories to the left was contrary to the asset deviation of
the gun, and erase from • rather Mang wind which had
eat In from the sea. The pa wee thseekwe laid mom to
the right, and the,, a berth slot 6,910 yards' distance
sad only two pada le the left of the am line f TM
charge of powder me them theressed to sight mama
sad the elevation a( the pa rased le 26 threes. The
practice thee mode was really extmerffinery. The
fleet shot alighted in the sand at 8,970 yards!' daleace, eat,
22 pods to the right of the line. The mead fell at 8,900
yards, and only 10 yards left of the lime; the third at 0,069
yards, 10 yards to the right; and the fourth at the imusease
rasp of 9,164 yards end 22 yards to the right. Midway
hewers the guns and the target the flight of the projectiles
over heed sealed just be bard, and no more.
The 1110-peandse was the loaded at 6 degrees eleveket,
with 121 h, of powder, with which theme a threw a Nth
ier=itlt • head roar, • disease ef SAO yards, Men
at right angles and busied huff ha the ma ea
ea
ham= defiance. A second shot, with the muse charge,
first rued the mid 2,020 yards distant from the gme,
and aely two to the right et the true Ms From this pole
It gamed upwards, bat seethed • straight coarse awed,
alighting is the mad et • distance of over 6,009 yards from
the gm Had this pose ben monatisd seas to wads at
its Ming fired at • high degree of elevation there le not the
hest &mit but that It would Uwe thrown Its pomderces is,
• diem* of 6,400 or 10,000 yards, •di ame that has sew
yet bees gained by lay pa with • projectile of sea weight.
Yesterday, kir John Bergamo was preset at the esperf-
meats, which reve the ems Mounding results se those of
Wednesday. The greatest trial of .11 aka plea on Wed-
nesdey eget, when the 00-pounder will be masted om •
stead that will admit of its befog fired at say elevation.
This trial, Iran which great results are anticipated, is looked
forward to with the deepest interest.