The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-01 00:00:00

41111110.01 SNIP GUNNER r

The United States corvette Plymouth, which has
been lying in Southampton Water for the lot few weeks,
will, it I. expected, take her departure thence in afew days.
Her amereandsr, Captain Dahlgren, the inventor of the
neonate, gguunn that bears hie name, bar been visiting the gun-
nery smbliehear to of thee country, where he ha. received
the most courteous attention hum the venom authorities.
Captain Hewlett, the had of the gunnery establishment on
board her Majesty's ship Ithesllent„ at Portsmouth, has paid
• visit to the Plymouth, and minutely inepected everything
on board of her. He append particularly pleased with the
new end improved snail Smarms. The oaken. of her Ma-
jesty'. ship Melampus, lying in Southampton Water, have
eke Waled the Plymouth. On Tuesday het 110110' expenments
veremedswlth the small enema en board the Corvette before
• party al 'Wore from Southampton. The rapidity and
auxeracy with which them arm. can be fir. d aro extra-
ordinary. The most remittent Improvement• in these
hmannunts of warfare ere known se Maynard'u Perry's, and
Sheep's patents, these being the names of throe American
inuallesn L ems ef the carbines the fore linger moves a
sprieg, and the amber for the cartridge Is ex pos4 which
having been tilled spring is aloud and-the chamber
is covered, a pinir *Wet
Brining. the pereweion
Cap hSneed est end the gun y krhe primer,
which I. ingeniously concealed, is ruled round like the team
spring of • watch, and lute. long time. In another carbine
the chamber for the cartridge iv lifted out of its peition
upwards; it is then loaded, and un being forced again into
peeper position a spiral spring in COnnetion With a concealed
row deeps in touched anl the gun is primed. The ramrod
is of cuing does away with by these inventions.
There are several improved naval and military muskets
en board the Plymouth. In one the bayonet
when taken from the musket is a very handy and formidable
abort sword. The King of Portugal was so pleased with the
boat howitzers on b-ard the Plymouth, when that ship
violent Lisboa, that he ordered some like them, with • slight
IiandMOMIM, to be manufactured. Such is the rapidity with
which them howitzers can be find, that three balls Bred sue.
easeively hem one gun have been in motion at the same
Nate. The beet carriages of these bowitzme exhibit some
boprovements of h'eptain Dahlgreses. Some iutereating ex.
pertinent. have been mode on board the Plymouth, on rope,
estate, and cordage. Some of the ropes are rude of Anna-
ean cotton, others of Manila, of Swedish, and of American
bleep. The cotton rope. are remarkable for their softness
and flexibility, and what is very singular, they are found not
to imbibe more moisture than ropes made of • mach harder
material, and it is believed they are equal to the latter in
strength and durability. Metallic blocks foe the cordage to
run upon are used for various pewposee on board. The
monster gun .4 the Ply mouth weighs 16,000 pounds surds-
poi.. It is covered with • °Wise of vermillion sad beams;
and therefore has • red instead of the nasal black immisumes
ifuns. The heavy Dahlgren guns have two yenta,
which facilitate their rapid and safe Brim. The weight of
each shell the; discharge is about 1361 be., end that at each
solid shot la I, Cribs. The mead of the shells and shot travm-
hog si distance of three miles is lost in the esorreoue spars
flia it traverses. One peculiarity of the Dahlgren gun is
its enormous strength and thickneu where the greatest force
wder i. expended. In experiment. made to test the
stremglAsof these cum., one of them has bete fired off nearly
2,000 thew with a large proportion of solid shot, without
benther Captain Dehlgren is of Bwedioh origin. The
tint lisstaseat of the Plymouth war on board the Ma-
tinee, which lay in Southampton Water about • twelve-
month sinew The °Meer. and crew of the Merrimac have
been treasisered to the Rosioha, another of the five mon-
ster frigates built by the United Stales government.

CILMAL PAUL'S. OMB SHILLING Day...
Wu.Nt•DAT, eirs. 30.—Adaisissa as U 4974
UN by mom thluils. 1,00111; 414 1