The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-16 00:00:00

Armstrong and Whitworth Trials,

Mg by day the now close competition between
the field guns of Sir William Armstrong and Mr.
Whitworth goes on at Shoebury, in the presence of
most of the members of the special committee who
are appointed to superintend the practice. Judging
what has yet to be done by the progress already
made, there is at the lowest estimate two months'
constant work still to ba got through before all the
various trials laid down in the programme can be
completed, and a still longer time must elapse before
the final award of the committee can be made public.
Many seem of opinion that the trials could be made
with greater rapidity if it were necessary, and it is
certain that both Sir William and Mr. Whitworth
would consent to such a reduction of the programme
as would enable them to fire a larger number of
shots at fewer ranges instead of, as now, firing a
small number at a great many gradually increasing
distances. Such an alteration would no doubt reduce
the time of trial by many days, but the propriety of
making any change in the elaborate and exhaustive
programme that has been resolved on is more than
questionable, and certainly, while it is adhered to, it
seems difficult with anything like a careful verifica-
tion of each practice shot to do more than is done.
Even what is now accomplished entails almost inces-
sant work night and day on Capt. Dyer, R.A., the
secretary to the committee, and with a greater
number of rounds the return which is now made
out at the close of each day's firing would become
impossible. The competition might, undoubtedly,
have been shortened to a certain extent if it had
been begun with the 70-pounders instead of the field
pieces. The mode of rifling and strength of tube
which will do for a large gun, it is known, will
most certainly do for a small one, but the converse
of this proposition by no means hold. Thus, Mr.
Whitworth, with his small-bore rifle, has made a
weapon which as yet distances all other rifles beyond
the chance of competition ; but it is evident now
that the same principle extended in its applica-
tion from a rifle to a 12 pounder does not, or at least,
has not yet effected the same results. Sir William's
shunt principle, if applied to a volunteer rifle,would
no doubt be easily beaten by Mr. Whitworth's
weapon of the same kind, but it becomes a totally
different question when the two principle are ap-
plied to field guns, and more different still when the
manufacture is extended from field guns to 70 and
100 pounders. For these reasons and as setting the
question more quickly at rest, it would no doubt
have been better if the competition had begun with
the heavy guns instead of with light, or rather if it
had been confined to the heavy guns altogether.
As it is now, the results obtained with the field guns
of either competitors are regarded as far from being
conclusive, and as only affording data which cannot
properly be judged of till the heavy ordnance has
Igone through the same ordeal.
During the past week the trials have varied very
little from tests of range and accuracy at various
degrees of elevation, from two degrees to seven,
which was attained yesterday, when the guns were
throwing shot 3,050 and 3,100 yards. All these trials
are of course made with solid shot—a test which Sir
William thinks is against bringing out the true

merits of his ordnance. His two guns are made for

shells only, which is in fact the only ammunition
issued to them in service. Mr. Whitworth's gun is,
on the contrary, specially a gun for solid shot, and
its performances with shell, if not actually bad, arc