The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-20 00:00:00

Commence at 7.

MISS BATEMAN.—L E A H.—THIb
EVENING and EVERY EVENING.—Miss Bateman
will re-apt ear in her great impersonation of the Jewish
maiden i,ttil further notice. In order o give due effect to
tais most remarkable suczes of the season, entirely new
scenery by the celebrated artists Messrs. Danson and t-ons,
ale Thompson. New dr es,s and appointments have be n
prepared for its production.—N. it. In consequence of the
,‘,ressing and numerous applications at the Box-offi:e, ar-
Ingement, have now been made by which Seats m .y be ob-
a Fortnight in Advane.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Manager, Mr. W. H. Swanborough.
THIS EVENING, MY PRESERVER.
After which, the l'a'cony Scene from ROMEO AND
JULIET. Alt ses Swanborough and Wilton.
Followed by the Fifth Act of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S
DREAM.
Concluding with the Great Burlesque, ORPHEUS AND
EURYDICE : Messrs. Honey, Wood, James Fenton ; Ides-
dames Swanborough, Marie Wilton, Hughes, dal
Commence at 7.

ROYAL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. under the
Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER.
Re-engagement of those celebrated artistes. Mr. and Mrs.
C. Mathews. —The greatly successful new Comcely every
Evening.
THIS EVENING, A DAY AFTER. THE WZDDLNG.
31r. F. Hot:Anson and Miss Hen.ert.

At a quarter before 8. the successful new Comedy, by
L. Buckins!ham, Esq., entitled Tti E SILVER LILT IN 14 :
yir. t harles Mathews, Mr. F. Robinson, Mr. Ashley, Mr.
Montague; Mrs. Charles Mathews, Mrs. Frank Matthews,
Miss A. Cottrell, Miss Wentworth, and Mrs. Stirling.
After whiJh, COOL AS A CUCUMBER. Mr. Charles
'Mathews.

To conclude with UNDER THE R0,9.E : Mr. Ashley and
Miss A. Cottrell.

Commerce at 7.

COALS.—The LILLESHALL COMPANY'S
COAL 4.
Direct from their own Collieries.
Marquis' 26s. per ton. I Double 2ls. per ton.
Top 2.55. „ Nut 5........ 19s. „
Deep ....225. „
Well screened and delivered within five miles of their De-
pots, Westbourne Park-road, W., and 17, South Wharf,
Paddington, W.
Best Coke
Terms cash.
JOHN SCOTT, Sole Agent.

TIME THIRD EDITION OF " THE SUN,"
Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,
lan be had Every Evening of

G. It. GLENIE, NEWS AGENT,
No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park.

The Weather—Sun Office, April 20, 1864.

THERMOMETER.
This day at Two o'clock 62

Barometer-30.20.
Wind—E, ; moderate breeze, and very fine.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tins DAY.—Morning, lh. 6m.—Afternoon, lh. 26m.
ro-MoEßow.-Morning, lh. 44m.—Afternoon, lb. 56m.

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• r,..-;‹,:lekyviLit cik4.o-
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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1864.

We are glad to find that the Earl of DERBY has
drawn attention to the new gun recently patented
by Mr. MACKAY. When every Government except
our own is on the lookout for improvements in its
armaments, it is necessary for those who are in the
position to command attention, to stir up those in
authority to take advantage of the discoveries of
British subjects, instead of leaving their labours to
be appropriated by more enterprising and more
iberal foreigners. Lard DERBY simply drew the
attention of the Secretary for War to the report of
Mr. MACKAY'S gun (an account of which appeared
in The Sun last week), and after relating the ex-
traordinary advantages which it seemed to possess
over other guns, the noble lord inquired whether
the Government had taken any steps to examine
into the accuracy of the report. He also asked
what steps they were prepared to take provided
that the gun was effective and was calculated to be
utilised for the public service. Earl DE GREY and
RlPosr said, in reply, that an cfUcer had been sent
to Liverpool to make inquiries as to the character
of the gnu and the results which had been obtained,
and that the report of the trial ht,d been confirmed.
But the noble lord went further, and endeavoured
to underrate a gun which had proved to be eminently
successful in its first .
and only trial, because heavier
guns had done almost as
much at the same range
and might hereafter do more.
He also said it was
impossible to determine the value of the gun when
it was fired at iron plates at a distance of only two
hundred yards. We would ask the noble lord the
Secretary fc r War, if this be Se, why so many
thousands of pounds halve been expended in testing
iron plates at that range, and why the Bellerophon
target was pronounced a great success when it red
sisted 63 and 100 lbs, shot at Shoeburyness at that
distance ?

Mr. MACKAY'S gun has penetrated a target as
strong as the Bellerophon, if not stronger. It re.
presented a portion of the side of the Agincourt,
now being built for the Government by Messrs.
LAIRD, of Birkenhead, who provided the
tagct which was considered by competent
judges to be of the best quality, and all that could
be required. It consisted of an outer plate 7:t.
square end 54, inches thick of ro'led iron ; next
came 9 inches of teak, then an inner plate or skin

a inches thick, then angle iron and ribbing, and
finally a backing up with timber balks and supports
18 inches thick. It is not expected that even the
largest ship can carry much heavier plating than
this, yet Mr. MACKAY'S gun sent a shot clean
through this obstacle and carried a large portion
of the target away with it. The principle on which
this gun is constructed is perfectly novel, and if, as
there can be little doubt from the result of the re-
cent trial it will do, if it Frove as effective at long
ranges as it has done at 200 yards, it must produce
a great revolution in the science of artillery. It
is curious to observe that the most striking im-
provements in mechanics and engineering are often
suggested by men who have been brought up in
a perfectly different walk of life. Sir W. ARM-
STRONG, for example, belonged originally to the
legal profession, but he nevertheless introduced
hydraulic cranes and his celebrated breech-loading
field-pieces. Mr. JAMES MACKAY, a timber mer-
chant of Liverpool, has upset all the theories of
artillery engineers by combining the advantages of
the smooth bore and the rifled cannon, and by turn-
ing to profit the windage which has hitherto been
the bugbear of artillerists. Sir. W. ARMSTRONG,
in his shunt gun, to a certain extent lessened the
loss of initial velocity caused by the resistance
offered to the projectile by the grooves of the barrel,
'out Mr. MACKAY obviates the resistance altogether
and gives his shot a greater rotatory motion. The
principle heretofore adopted in rifled cannon has
been to allow as little windage as possible, and to
impart rotation to the projectile by making it fit the
grooves of the piece. Mr. MACKAY, on the other
hand, has conceived the plan of having the
grooves so arranged that, while the shot fits
closely to their outer edge, the grooves are
left open for windage. By this arrangement
the gas has to travel some feet farther than the
shot, and in doing this imparts a rapid and perfect
spin to it. Now, as the shot does not traverse the
grooves, they do not offer the same resistance to it,
as in the case of ordinary rifled cannon, and there-
fore the pressure on the gun is necessarily decreased.
Again, as the shot is not checked by the resistance
of the grooves, its initial velocity at the mouth of
the gun is as great as that of a shot from a smooth
bore, while at the same time it possesses a greater
rotation than an ordinary rifle projectile. We do
not wish to enter upon the question which was
raised by the noble lord the Secretary for War,
as to the possible inaccuracy of the instruments
used at Liverpool to ascertain the velocity of the
solitary shot fired from Mr. MACKAY'S gun, but if
there be any truth in the report of the result of that
one shot, which Earl DE GREY does not deny, we
think our conclusions are pretty well borne out by fact.
The shot struck the target with a dull thud a little
below the bull's eye on the right, and in the very
strongest part, where it was backed up by the rib
of the ship's side, the angle iron, and the timber
balk. At the point of impact a perfectly circular
hole was cut. The shot then powdered the teak,
passed through the inner skin and the angle iron,
shattered the timber balk into fragments, and was
picked up 82 yards beyond the target, together with
a circular piece of the iron armour, about 801 b.
weight, it had carried with it through the back sup-
ports. The sand showed that it had spun to the
last. About 70 fragments of iron, bolts, and frag-
ments of the inner skin and angle-iron 'sere picked
up 100 yards from the target. The shot when found
was reduced from 13 inches to 11 inches iu length,
and increased about an inch and a half in diameter
at the end which struck the target. The other end
was uninjured. The whole target was forced back
about six ino'ses, and so much deranged that m.re
shots were not fired. After this, will any-
body say that the principle ought not at
once to be tested to its fullest extent.
To the country to wait for a perfect gun
until some private individual has impoverished
himself in discovering and perfecting a wea-
pon which it was the duty of the Govern-
ment to assist him in developing his inven-
tion. Mr. m ...ACKAY is independent of such patron-
age, or he would not have been able to astonish.
the public in the way he has done, bat that is no
reason why, if his discovery be of service to the
nation, the nation should not recognise his claims.
If there be any merit in the invention, it must
necessarily follow that the strain upon the '.tece
must be much less than in the present 'aystem of
P:
rifled artillery. Why, therefore, etnot this sys-
tem
c
be applied to the much a ,used, but yet effec-
tive 68 pounders, whose
Deily fault seems to be the
want of accuracy and force at long range. Earl
DE GREY and RIPON has promised that the new
gun shall reeeive all due attention. Let us hope
that that attention may not be such as has been
paid to too many modern improvements!

Lord GRANVILLE has not made matters better as
regards the Council of Education, and it will not
elevate public opinion as to his discretion, though
they may admire Lis candour in avowing it, to find
that he declares himself to be responsible "officially,
morally, and practically for what had taken place.',
He also saddles himself with the odium which Mr.
LOWE incurred by bits hasty and abrupt declaration,
for he proclaims that he would have made jast the
same sort of answer. This may be deemed very
magnanimous, and many may call it chivalrous,
but it is really most absurd, and rather an insult to
the House of Commons thus to reiterate that what
that assembly has pronounced to be an injudicious
course, is precisely the one which he would follow.
It is strange that one of so much experience as the
noble lord should not have known better than thus
to commit himself, and, after all, what good did it
do. He did not state that he intended to follow
Mr. LOWE.B example; but he seemed to defy in-
quiry and to charge the House of Commons with
conspiracy or ill-will for having presumed to
meddle with matters beyond its ken. Lord GRAN-
VILLE laid great stress upon the appointment of a
committee to inquire into the state of the case. This
may be all very well, but there are two things to
notice—first, that it is not quite the thing to talk
of the appointment of a committee, as if it were an
act of penance which it Lai to perform, for having
presumed to pass an opinion on a subject of
national importance; and next, that it by
no means follows, as a predetermined fact,
that the result of such inquiries and in-
vestigations prove condemnatory of the vote
lately passed or subversive of the implied cen.
sure. Of course it is not pleasant or palatable to
be told either privately or publicly that one's con-
duct or mode of action is unfitting or unsuitable,
but it is sometimes needful to make these assertions,
and utter these unwelcome truths. After the
hubbub and commotion that has ensued it may
doubtlees be deemed advisable to prove more justly
the facts of the case, but it does not in consequence
follow that by this means the House will undo its
previous decisions. To begin with, it is a very dan-
gerous practice and a most unwise custom for the
Council of Education to interfere and alter the re-
porta of the Inspectors. The evils of the system
are manifest to all who will take the trouble to
think on them dispassionately and unprejudiced.
It confers a sort of arbitrary power on the autho-
rities which it is not safe for them t:) be invested
with. It may be all right, but at the same time it
may be all wrong, and it certainly affords the
chance to the censors and critics of expunging all

that offends their pride, departs from their views
and militates against their wishes. The idea of such
a supervision is not in accordance with the national
spirit. It is no-English, and if, as Lord
GRANVILLE says, it is the plan adopted
by all the other departments of Government,
the sooner a change is made the better.
How can the truth be got at it so many rival claims
are put in, and such various opinions influence the
information that is afforded ? How can the In-
spectors perform their task properly if they are
tormented with doubts, harassed with fears, and
perplexed with misgivings as to this passage
offending and that paragraph annoying the some-
bodies or the nobodies who arc to sit in judgment
upon them. It is very natural for officials to cling
to the shadow of their forms and ceremonies, but
when everything around us is undergoing a change,
why is bad mar_ apment to be stationary and mis-
chievous meddling to be retained in our departments
of State ? This is a difficult matter to decide upon,
but the Government have not gone the right way to
work to adjust the difficulties of the case by setting
out from the outset in so arbitrary and consequen-
tial a manner: Irritating one's opponents is not
the way to take from attacks their sting or their
victory, and to deny that there is any truth, or right,
or reason id the assertions of the opposite party is
a very impolitic course. At all events, this has
furnished another item to the many exciting and
eventful discussions of this stormy session ; and it
will not have been all talk without effect if, in con-
sequence of the strife and turmoil that have arisen
regarding the management of the Council of Edu-
cation, more fair play and free speaking are allowed,
and thus a better and more correct opnion can
be formed of its merits.

The difficulty of dealing with our convict popu-
lation does not lessen upon examination. Wise
legislators, experienced administrators, and zealous
philanthropists can not only not agree on the best
and safest course, but not one of them is able to
bring forward a scheme which shall remove exist-
ing obstacles and reconcile c)nflicting interests. The
first interest to be considered is undoubtedly that
of the honest man who has a claim on the Govern-
ment which he helps to support, and the laws which
he faithfully obeys, for protection against the
violence of the ruffian or the fraud of the swindler.
This fact is, however, very often lost sight of by
our humanitarians, who reserve all their sympathy
for the thief or the villain who is caught, not for
the inoffensive citizen who is robbed or maltreated.
Yet they have in some degree reason on their side,
too. The homes, the parents, the associates, the
training of the convict class have all betn calcu
Wed to drag them down to the very lowest depths
of humanity. They have had to contend from
childhood against temptations of fearful strength,
unsupported by any counteracting agency. But
it is impossible for the law openly to recognise these
mitigating circumstances. It will not do for the
magistrate to inquire minutely into the circume
stances of the burglar or garotter's early life, and
then, in consideration of his drawbacks, to let him oft
from the punishment due to his crimes. It was to
solve this difficulty that the ticket-of-leave system
was introduced, which appeared at first to answer
the question, but either from an ofiginal fault in the
system, or from careless or improper administration
of it the results have been such as to occasion loud
calls for a complete change. Last evening, upon
the motion for the Penal Servitude Acts Amend-
ment Bill going into Committee, Mr. ADDERLEI
moved the entire abandonment of the ticket-of-
leave system. The right hon. gentleman, who is
something of an authority in these matters, having
devoted to them long and careful consideration,
spoke clearly and sensibly of many of the disad-
vantages attending the system, not only as regards
the public, but as it affec's the men themselves.
The great difficulty appears to be this, that if tae
ticket-of-leave is to be any check upon the man, or
any protection to the public, it aonly he by
means of strict police supe.-,
*etching, and this is P vision and regular
e'esolutely fatal to the man's
getting or retair.:ing regular and honest emplo-
-
flint' °I the other hand, if no super.-asion
atter-
is
.epted, and the man is trusted to report himself,
the ticket-of-leave is practical:l
valueless as a check
upon the convict. We are afraid the amendment
which was carried against the Government last
night, although politically important as a further
proof of the weakness of the Administration,
will be practically of very little benefit.
It may be possible to carry out the
plan proposed in Ireland, but in this
country even our own skilful detectives will
fail to enbree its fulfilment. The amendment pro-
posed by Mr. HUNT to clause 4, was to the effect
that if a ticket holder should neglect to report
himself at the police station of the district where
he resided on the first day of every month, he should
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour and forfeit his
ticket. A very prudent precaution, doubtless, with
the solitary objection of its utter impracticability.
How is such a rule to be enforced in our thronged
and changing- cities, with constant un watched traffic,
from place to place, from city to city, from one part
of the kingdom to another? And supposing even
that it could be rigorously enforced, how is a man
so watched to retain his employment with the
known prejudice of English workmen against con-
victs—a prejudice which in its sturdy honesty and
strength defies alike the theories of humanitarians,
and the kindly efforts of employers to " give the
man a chance ?" Yet, are we to say that these men
must be shut out from the great safety valve of
their energies, the potent reformer honest labour ?
If we do, we are eealiog their doom, and ticket or
no ticket makes very little difference, as they will
soon be inside the prison walls again. The subject
is beset with problems, for which we fear the true
solution is as yet undiscovered. The only established
principle seems to be to remove long sentence men
to a country where they can really be of valuable
service to the honest members of the community,
and their work therefore no longer at a discount;
while for those on short sentences we must try and
discover what amelioration of labour, what small
indulgencies and other rewards may serve to take
the place in some degree of tickets of leave, unto
at least the inconsistencies attending them ahal
have been in some measure reconciled.

THE STUPENDOUS FRENCH NEWSPAPER called
Is Grand Journal, which has recently appeared, and is the
longest and broadest journal in the world, is about to pub•
lish an unedited romance by Dumas, called " The Citizens of
Paris," which is said to be something in the style of Sue's
" Wandering Jew."
_ _

M. GODARD has, it is said, discovered the means
of preventing all danger in ballooning by never ascending.
A CRUEL REFINEMENT OF LUXURY.—The
skin of the astrakan, which is so much the fashion in Paris,
and is so excessively dear, is procured in all its beauty by
kiding the black sheep that is bearing young, and skinning
the lamb thus untimely born, as the skin is thus rendered
beautifully fine. The Japanese lately compared us to the
most barbaric natives of the earth. If they heard of this
fashion of les Francais would their respect increase ?
A SEVERE PUNISHMENT FOR GOING TO SLEEP.
—Yesterday an old man named Silas Skinner, about
sixty years of age, was charged before the county magis-
trates at Rochester, with going to sleep in the open air.
The accused was observed by police-constable Empson, 100,
to go behind a straw stack between four and five o'clock in
the morning, and lie down to go to sleep, when the officer
immediately pounced on him and took him into custody.
The accused said he had nowhere to sleep, The Rev. Mr.
Marsham, the presiding magistrate, 'told the prisoner he
was " an almost incorrigible character," and sentenced him
to six weeks hard labour—,South pastern Gazette.