The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-02 00:00:00

vv
The members of the committee comprised Major.
General Lumley, Inspector General of Infantry,
President ; Major-General Taylor, Inspector-Gene-
ral of Artillery; Colonel Ormsby, R.A.; Captain
Wilson, Royal Navy ; Colonel Simmonds, R.E,;
Captain Singer, Royal Navy ; Major Young, R.A.;
Professor Pole, F.R.S.; and Major Dyer, Secre.
tary.
Mr Whitworth and Viscount Torrington were
present as representing the Whitworth Ordnance
Company, a❑d Captain Noble and Mr Rendall re-
presented the Elswick Ordnance Company.
The programme of the committee provided in the
first instance for 120 rounds to be fired from each
gun, from on board the Excellent, 60 rounds to be
independent firing, at 2,600 yards range, each gun
to do its best at the target ; and 66 rounds to be
quick firing, as though firing point blank at an
en gaged enemy, time to be taken in both instahces.
In the quick firing the gun not to be laid on any

target, but a sufficient amount of elevation to be
given to prevent the chat ce of an awkward ricochet,
and training enough to keep the flight of the shot
in as straight a line with the target as necessary to
keep it clear of other objects. The wedge gun to
be fired with a 91b charge of powder, the shunt gun
and Mr Whitworth's muzzle-loader to be fired with
each a 10Ib charge. The non-arrival of the cart•
ridges for Mr Whitworth's gun from Woolwich
effectually debarred it from all share in the day's
firing, which was thus confined to Sir William
Armstrong's two guns. These latter indeed only
fired 80 out of their 120 rounds each, owing to the
state of the tide, and they will therefore recom-
mence the firing of their allotted quota this morn-
ing in company with Mr Whitworth's gun, the
ammunition for which it is presumed will have
reached her Majesty's ship Excellent in t:me for
second day's trial, if it could not got theee in time
for the first day. It only remains to give a plain
record of the firing yesterday with the two Arm-
strong guns, any comparison between them andMr
Whitworth's guns being necessarily deferred until
the first course of firing has been completed by all
three guns. These results yesterday were as fol-
lows :

INDEPENDENT FIRING.
Description Number of Time,
of Gun. Rounds, m• S.
Shunt 2O
Wedge
Wedge ....
Shunt .. 20
QUICK FIRING.
Description Number of Time.
of Gun. - Rounds. m. s,
Wedge
Shunt .... 20
Wedge 1... 20 _
Shunt

There are three circumstances remarkable.in these
returns. One is the remarkably short time in which
the wedge gun fired its second 20 rounds at its
course of independent firing (10 min. 23 sec.), the
practice being exceedingly accurate; the equally
hproportion, with which its first course
short
quickrttl mfie: ining (9 min. 20 sec.) was made ; and the
comparatively lengthened period (13 min. 15 sec.)

it took to complete its second course of 20 rounds
at quick firing. The cause of this difference ap-
peared to lie in the working of the wedges at the
breech, partly owing to the want of tact in the
seaman whose number at the gun gave him the duty
of hauling the wedge into position in closing the
breech to receive the key-bolt. It might, at the
same time, be owing to a slight disarrangement of
the key-bolt, or fouling of the wedge face or the end
of the tube upon which it closes. An intended
after-examination would, however, discover the
cause of the delay, which, slight in nature as it
must have been, yet sufficiently delayed the work-
ing of the'gun as to give the great difference in the
time noted in firing of 20 rounds.
Firing was resumed on board her Majesty's ship
Excellent, at Portsmouth, yesterday, with the 70
pounder Armstrong and Whitworth rifled naval
service guns, under the superintendence of the
special committee, Captain Astley C. Key, C. 8.,
thefiring as on the previous day. The
committee's
programme was somewhat departed
conducting
from, owing to the non-arrival of the Whitworth
ammunition from Woolwich, and the firing, which
was intended to have commenced at 10 a.m., did
ordinary3op.m" with 40 rounds of
smoothbore eight-
eni
nho
cot
ht o pgfeur no:the6sw t.), until
01 to afford the committee
a means of comparing the time occupied
in landing the ordinary smooth-bore gun of
the navy against the improved rifled guns under
trial. Prior to the firicg from the 68. pounders
being concluded 12 cartridges had been forwarded
to the Excellent for the Whitworth gun from the
Priddy's-hard magazines, where they had been spe.
cially prepared for the purpose, in the absence of
the expected supply from Woolwich, and it was de-
cided to fire 12 rounds of independent firing from
each of the rifled guns, and recommence on the
morrow, if the Whitworth cartridges should by that
time have come to hand. It is necessary to state
here that any fault attaching to the non-supply of
these cartridges rests entirely with the authorities
at Woolwich, and not with Mr Whitworth.
The difficulty experienced in closing the breach
of the wedge gun in the first day's firing (Monday)
• was owing, as was anticipated at the time the firing
was going on, to a want of tact oa the part of one