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

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Me Weather---Sun Office, July 7, 1861.

THERMOMETER.
This day at Two o'clock 6O
__ __

Barometer-30.06.
IF IND —N.W. ; moderate breeze and fine.

EIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THis DAN.-141orning, 4'a. 9m.—Afternoon, 4h. 28na.
ro-uoanow.-Morning, 4h. 44m.—Afternoon. 4a. 58m

cF/
114
t
ing
1111,

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1864.

"Save me from my friends," may with reason jns
now be the exclamation of the Government. No
Opposition member, no avowed enemy of the Ad•
miniwration, could give utterance to more unplea-
sant truths than those abundantly poured forth
by the "candid," "good-natured" friends who are
going to vote with the Government while they
hick with the Opposition. A vote of censure is
a term of such serious import, that every outsider
who claims a distant brotherhood with the clan
shrinks from pronouncing thus decidedly against
a so-called Liberal Government. Yet, right is
right, and truth and justice are too strong
even for political fealty. The Government may
command the votes of its supporters, but their
consciences are free, and by them it is frankly
and fearlessly denounced. Like the French
lady who, when told there was no English
for the word ennui, naively exclaimed, " Qu'est
ce que cela signe?—puisque sous save: la chose."
(" What does that matter ?—since you have the
thing itself.") So with our Government—they have
the Censure, whether or no they have the Vote. The
necessary cessation of the debate yesterday (being
has given time for the coneideratiou
wednesdaY)
of the elaborate discourses of Monday and Tuesday.
The v-rdiot of all the 'speakers upon both sides
(excepting, cf course, the Ministers themselves)
has been unanimous.lt may be summed up in
the
language of Mr. ROEBUCK when he said,
" None of the words I have heard uttered in this
House are too stung to express my utter disap-
probation of the manner in which the foreign
policy of this country has been conducted by Lord
RUSSELL." That is evidently the feeling of the
House, and it is also most assuredly the conviction
of the Country.

It is high time that something decided was done
about the arming of the navy with efficient guns.
UpwArdo of eye yews bkve eloped ace the subs

kje et was first mooted, and as yet we have really no
gu n for ;the navy, which is greatly superior to the
olet much -abused 68 pounders. It is true that there
are a fey i exceptional cases, in which 110 Armstrorg
and em' all bore 100-pounders are supplied ; but even
these are not capable of penetrating heavy armour
plat( es in experiments at short range. It is very
natu rally asked by the public how this can be,
seei! rg that upwards of two millions and a half
ster ling have been expended, or rather should have
be( 111 expended, upon experiments and the construe-
ti of available artillery. The question is simply
raisvvered in the short statement, that it is due to
Government jobbery and professional exclusiveness.
Committee after committee has been appointed to
consider the question, but until quite recently one
inventor only has been allowed to figure upon the
stage. Sir WILLIAM ARMSTRONG was the first to
construct a trustworthy rifled cannon ; as tar back
as 1858, his 12-pounder breech-lording field pieces
were celebrated. The system both of the construc-
tion and the projectiles were new, and the com-
miti ee were of course justified in electing it for
sere ice. Sir IV. ARMSTRONG richly deserves the
reward he has earned for his genius and patriotism,
and far be it from us to impute to him any share in
the shortcoming and unfair dealings of other autho-
rities. In 1859, heavy guns being urgently re-
quired for the navy, a large number of Armstrong
guns were ordered to be constructed-40 and 70-
pounders; but these guns were, we believe, ordered
and distributed throughout the navy without ever
having been experimented upon. Experience has
proved that breach-loaders are unfitted for sea
service, but, in cases of emergency, people
must not be particular. Experiments still went
on, and other inventors came forward to have
their guns tested, but the Ordnance Select Com-
mittee invariably rejected their claims; or if, im-
portuned to grant a trial at the inventor's personal
expense, contrived that the trial should take place
with closed doors, as it were—that is to say, the
parties connected with the gun were excluded from
witnessing the trial, and had to abide the decision
of a prejuciced jury. In fact, they as good as said,
"We have found a gun which may hereafter an-
swer the requirements of the service ; we will con-
tinue to experiment upon the gun before us,
and we may ultimately succeed ; in the mean
time, let us " rest and be thankful." Such a
feeling is but natural, for, according to the old
saying, subordinates may safely follow in the
foo,steps of their masters. Upon this principle
-WHITWORTH, BLAKELY, and other inventors were
given the cold shoulder, until Mr. WHITWORTH,
being enabled by his vast resources to carry out his
plans at his own expense, astonished everybody by
the extensive range and accuracy of his 80 pounder,
at Southpool, in Lancashire. Upon this becoming
known the gun was afterwards tried on the Thames,
in the presence of the Lords of the Admiralty,
against the iron-plated battery Trusty. Four
successive shots penetrated the four-inch plate
with ease and passed into the vessel. And such
was the effect that the Lords of the Admiralty for
bade a continuance of the practice, under the belief
that a few more shots would have sunk her. This
conclusive experiment took place in 1860; but ot
what use is success to an outsider? Faults were
found with the gun, and the matter waa smuggled
over. In 1862 Mr. 11,'MTWninni produced a
70-pounder, weighing only four tons and a half,
that prepelled a shell through four inches of iron.
plating and its backing, while a shell from
a larger gun of his pierced five inches ; so that at
last experiments are about to take place with heavy
artillery, to see whether better guns than the Arm-
strong can be produced by any other manufacturer.
Surely these trials might have heen SPRTA
ago, but official routine could not be broken. In
tact, even these high in authority are powerless
against professional etiquette. The Duke of
SOMERSET, we believe, stated some time ago in
evidence, that ha had desired that some of Mr.
WHITWORTH'S guns, the excellence of which he
had just witnessed, might be ordered for service ;
but as the Ordnance Select Committee had not
examined and experimented upon them, it might
not be. This, however, was not the case when the
Armstrong 40 and 70 pounders were ordered. We
have recapitutated these facts to show our readers
the real state of the case. It by no means follows
that because obstinate or prejudiced officials could
only find one man capable of furnishing a first-
class gun that there were no others to be found in
England. Sir IV. ARMSTRONG has produced
splendid field artillery, and at length, alter five
years' labour, has produced heavy artillery, bu
upon a very different plan from the one first pre-
sented to the Government, But in the meanwhile
his less fortunate competitors have sought in other
lands the recognition of their inventions which the
prejudice and partiality of their own Government
denied them in their native land. The Federal
States of America may thank Captain BLAKELY
for the destruction of their Monitors at Charleston,
and although the craven Ministry of this country
dared not recognise a brave people struggling for
independence, the Confederate States owe much of
their success to British enterprise. Russia, and
other continental Powers, have also been supplied
from the same source. Perhaps it is a matter or liana
or no consequence how ships are armed, seeing that
they are not intended to fight but only for show,
and a great saving would be achieved by Bubstitut
log dummies for the heavy broadside guns, reserving
just a few real ones to salute crowned heads and
continental ambassadors. But if the expenditure
must go on, let proper guns be provided at once.
If it be considered necessary that another seven
months be expended in trials between the twelve-
pounders ef ARMSTRONG and WHITWORTH, be it 80,
in spite of the waste of money ; although it is admit-
ted on all hands that any of the three guns no es on
trial is superior to what is required by the army.
But let no time be lost in making fair trial of ship
guns of calibres capable of penetrating iron-
plating, varying from 4k or 5 tons up to 9
and 12 tons weight, and let the contest be thrown
open to all comers. A preliminary trial will dispose
of all questionable productions, and then let a abort,
sharp, and general test determine not the best gun,
but what guns come up to a given standard; let
orders be given for a reasonable number of pieces at
once, and then let further trials settle the question
of superiority. In the meantime let us make the
most of the guns we have by providing them with
steel shot, to place us at least on a footing with the
French and other nations on that point. It is proved
that cast-iron shot breaks to pieces on the impact
with armour-plates, whereas steel-shot, Even if it
do not penetrate, does far more damage. It by no
means follows that because a gun is superior in one
particular, and has peculiar advantages to recom-
mend it, another may not have other points
of superiority. The late trial of the Armstrong
600-pounder at Shoebnryness proved that it was
capable of demolishing the Warrior target at a
distance of 1,000 yards, and it is probable would
hare done the same at twice the distance, but it
must be borne in mind that each of these de-
structive monster shells costs £5O sterling. The
Armstrong shell is the most destructive yet pro-
',iced, but at the same time the costliest. Mr.
WHITWORTH'S gun is simpler, and his flat-headed
shot the best suited for penetrating armour, while
big shells, though not so deetruotiye, have a groter