The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-12 00:00:00

on the track of the best gun, i f no better invention,
or what is claimed to be a better invention, turns up
in the interval to insist on another endless trial. in
the meantime the supply of rifled guns to the forts
and fleets stands still, while all Europe and Ame-
rica are manufacturing them by hundreds, The im-
portance of the time we are now 10-in;; may not be
remembered if we remain at peace—it will never be
forgotten should we unfortunately become involved
in war. Rifled guns cannot be manufactured cif.
hand by scores like the cast iron rubbish of old;
and the worst rifled gun is better than the best
smoothbore ever cast. The most uncompromising
partisan of Armstrong or Whitworth will always
admit that they are both admirable guns—the best,
certainly, that are known to exist in any country.
Is it too much, then, to ask, in the interest of the
public, that a certain number, say 100, of the 150-
pounders on each system should be ordered at once
and placed on board the large ships in commission,
there to be used with the other guns under all the
varying conditions of temperature, wind, weather,
and range which an ordinary cruise of six months
would be sure to develope ? The public who read
the marvellous results obtained at Shoebury in this
competition hug themselves with the idea that all
is going well, and that the country possesses an
invincible ordnance. This is a fatal delusion. It
cannot be too strongly impressed upon their minds
that these guns are being tried not manufactured.
War to-morrow would find this country without
any recognized rifle gun in either service, and what
is worse, with no means of manufacture to supply a
fraction of the want in this respect which hostilities
would instantly call forth. Nothing, in fact, can
be more unsatisfactory or even more dangerous than
the present state of our rifled gun question. The
old saying of " two stools" would have a fresh illus-
tration of its truth in the number of ours that
would eome to the ground if war broke out suds
denly.

One of the most recent stages of the competition
with the 12-pounder field-guns was made with their
trail buried in the ground, so as to enable the guns
to get the enormous elevation of 33 deg. Several
rounds were fired, and at this contest for range
Mr. Whitworth gained a most clear victory, as,
indeed, in the matter of range he has throughout
been more or less ahead of the shunt gun. 'This,
indeed, was to be expected from the much smaller
circular area, and therefore diminished resist-
ance, of his shot. But what at trials of 6,8,
or 10 degrees had at most only been 400 yards,
at 33 degrees rose to a most formidable gain. In
rough numbers Mr Whitworth averaged the im-
mense range of 8,800 yards, or a little short of five
miles, and Sir William's shunt gun averaged about
6,700 yards, or short of four miles—an increase of
range to Mr Whitworth of nearly a mile and a quar-
ter. Even if we call it only a mile, this is a most
important advantage. It may be said that field-guns
are rarely, if ever, wanted to be used at this eleva-
tion, which is true enough, but it is equally true
that the gun which possesses it in addition to other
qualifications is in range by so much the better gun,
and unless the committee consider that what is
gained in superiority of range by diminished area
of shot is lost in efficiency as a shell gun, this vic-
tory of Mr Whitworth's must weigh seriously in,
their decision.

As regards the trials against the armour with the
70-pounders, we have already expressed our opi-
nion as to their very unsatisfactory nature and
result. Two things, however, they have very
conclusively proved, if proof were needed, which
are—first, the immense importance and value of Mr
Chalmers's principle of backing targets; and, second,
that though there are no soft places in a target,
there are some which are very much harder than
others. Singularly enough, as regards Mr. Chale
mers's principle, two shots, one from Sir Wil-
liam's shunt-gun, and one from Mr. Whitworth's,
struck full upon a plate where it was supported
behind by one of the horizontal stringers which
are used at wide intervals in the Warrior plan of
building, but which, according to Mr Chalmers's
patent, ought to be used at intervals of about
nine inches apart. All were astonished to see that
these two shots fired at 50 yards had failed to
penetrate to little more than one.third of the depth
which on the previous day they had accomplished
at 600 yards. It was some minutes befcre this
apparent mystery was solved by finding that both
shots had struck on where, as we have said, the
plate was supported by one of the stringers pro-
posed by Mr. Chalmers, and all on the ground
could only look with astonishment at this unex-
pected proof of the value of an invention which to
this hour the Admiralty persist in depreciating. As
to striking upon hard parts, it often happened that
the shot struck on bolt heads or just in front of
where the plate was supported by a main rib, and
though, of course, in war there would be the same
chances to contend against, yet in a trial of this
kind the widely differing results, according as the
shots strike on supported or unsupported parts,
make it exceedingly difficult to arrive at a good
general average of the performance of each gun.
Mr. Whitworth got a fine result from one of his
shells, which went clear through the armour plate,
and burst in the wooden backing, giving the target
a great shake and slightly, but very slightly bulging

the inner skin. With one of his shells, also, Sir Wil.
Liam got a still finer result, drawing the lower plate
on which it struck with all its massive bolts bodily
forward, nearly 2in., knocking off the heads of 10
out of the 40 bolts, which fastened all the plates of
the target, and setting the target itself on fire. This
shell shook the target more than any which was
fired against it. With solid shot the result was
pretty equal—that is to say, all got more or less of
their noses through the plate, and some got through
it almost entirely, except when, as we have said,
they happened to hit on very hard places. It must
be recollected, however, that the small sectional
area of Mr. Whitworth's shot has always enabled
it to penetrate iron:; it is in damaging effect that
his solid shot frequently fails. The sectional area
of the Whitworth is 23,75, of the Armstrong 31.17,
and the work to be done in penetration must be taken
inversely as the areas, that is if both shot penetrate
say 6in., the Armstrong would have done more by
reason of its having made the larger hole. From
this competition against iron Sir William withdrew
his side- wedge breech-loader, and, though it remains
to compete in other stages, it is by its withdrawal
from the armour contest virtually put out of this
competition altogether. From its lightness this in-
dividual breech-loader can effect very little worth
speaking of against armour, and Sir William per.
haps did well in withdrawing it, lest its failure might
have damaged the reputation of the principle of
this breech-loading system, This new principle of
closing the breech by powerful wedges of such
solidity that it is apparently almost impossible
to break them, while they fit with such accu-
racy as to slide easily into their places, seems
to answer very well up to the present. It is most
earnestly to be wished that either this or some
other principle of breechßloading for our heavy
guns may be discovered by mechanicians, for with-
out some such apparatus the use of very heavy
ordnance, which seems now absolutely essential
on board ships, will be attended with the greatest
difficulties. In the trials for rapid firing made last
week, when each gun was to fire 120 rounds at a
target, this new breechloader got through its
work splendidly in 88 minutes, the Whitworth in
127 minutes, and the shunt i
gun in 132 reintitu.
All the guns were worked without water, merely
dry sponged, and once or twice there was some
home the wedges of the difficulty in getting breech-
loader,covered with thewhite
which were dry sul-
phurous powder. deposit of the After it had got
through its task a bucket of water was thrown
) into the breech, when all parts instantly worked
with the most perfect ease. Once during these ex-
periments with the heavy guns Mr Whitworth's
shot jammed in the muzzle, and was not got home
without great difflculty and the use of a heavy