The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-27 00:00:00

the country as Colonel Boxer's shell promises to
become. With common shell—that is, a thin case
of cast iron, filled with powder, lit from the front
by a percussion or time fuse, the Whitworth gun
was very distinctly beaten by both of Sir 'William's.
Mr. Whitworth, to a certain extent, frankly admits
this victory, and explains it clearly enough by say-
ing that an error of judgment was committed in
making the common shell half a diameter too long,
which has, to a certain degree, spoilt its shooting.
We give this explanation or excuse as we gave Sir
William's about the steel tube of his breech-loader
not expanding under the explosion of high proof
charges, as it is said it would have done had the
whole tube been of wrought coiled iron. Bat while,
for the satisfaction of the competitors, we make
their apologies public, it must not be forgotten that
they are excuses to which both the public and the
committee will wisely turn a deaf ear, and look to
results alone. Both competitors had the most ample
time to mature their preparations and elaborate
their weapons to the utmost, and by those which
they have now at last pat forward they must be
content to stand or fall.

After the trials with common shell were over
each competitor was allowed to fire shell after his
own fashion, through embrasures at old guns sur-
rounded with dummy figures and with empty
limbers in the rear. In this contest the Arm-
strong shunt gun gained a marked superiority.
The practice with the 70 pounder has now ad-
vanced to a stage at which the experiments
against the iron plated Warrior target have com-
menced. The trials with the large guns, if we
may so far miscall the 70 pounders, which have
led up to these armour plate experiments, have
included the first stages of firing for range and
accuracy, daring which both the shunt and the
Whitworth were as nearly as possible equal in ac-
curacy, though at 3,000 yards range the Whitworth
had an advantage of nearly 200 yards. A breech
loader of Sir William's, not on the old vent-piece
system but one more recently invented, which opens
the breech at the side with sliding wedges, was
included in these trials ; but we may dismiss the
performances of this piece altogether, as it was on
Friday very wisely withdrawn from competition.
Thus, as far as we yet know, the second system of
breech loading for large guns hes for the present
been given up by Sir William. The trials against
the Warrior target took place on Thursday and
Friday, and in this competition a decisive victory
was looked forward to for the Whitworth gun,
which from the very small diameter of its shot
has generally been found most effective for at
I,,est penetrating the armour plates if it did not
dartAne them much. Contraiy to all expectation,
however', at this contest Sir William's shunt gun
achieved a decisive victory over the Whitworth,
both with shot and shell, beating it in the ratio of
at least two to 0:1e. The length to which this notice
has extended prec.lodes our giving the details on
this occasion ; but we a'hall take the earliest oppor-
tunity of referring fully this great stage of the
competition which is likely to be the most decisive,
as it is beyond all question the :most important, of
them all.