The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-07 00:00:00

FORTIFICATIONS AND WORKS.

The house having gone into committee,
Lord PALMERSTON rose to move for leave to intro-
duce a bill in continuation of the bill brought in last year
for the purpose of authorising the issue of terminable
annuities to continue those works which had been already
sanctioned by Parliament for the defence of the dockyards
and other stations. Of the amount authorised to be issued
last year, a sum of £600,000 still remained unexpended ;
that sum would not be sufficient to pay for the progress of
the works to be completed between that time and July of
next year, and therefore they asked for a further issue of
£650,000. He was happy to be able to state that the works
already constructed had been exceedingly well executed,
and that they would prove a very useful defence to the coun-
try. He should mention that, generally speaking, the works
to be found in the schedule of the bill were works already
sanctioned; but last year, in consequence of the doubts
about the relative merits of forts and ships, the vote with
respect to the forts at Spithead was suspended. But the ex-
perience which they had since derived from the war in
America showed that forts were remarkable antagonists to
ships ; and, moreover, the progress of improvements in the
construction of cannon in this country showed that solid
shot and even shells would pierce ships constructed like the
Warrior ; and he had no doubt that it could be done at 1,000
yards; but, as at Shoeburyness, they had only a range of
800 yards, they had not been able to experimentalise to
that extent. As the present motion was only with the object
of introducing the bill, he would not detain the committee
further, beyond expressing a hope that the house would be
willing to read the bill a second time on Thursday. The
noble lord concluded by moving, that, towards providing
a further sum for defraying the expenses of the con-
struction of works for the defence of the Royal Dock-
yards and Arsenals, and of the ports of Dover and Port-
land, and for the creation of a central arsenal, a sum not
exceeding £650,000 be charged upon the Consolidated
Fund of the United Kingdom; and that the Commissioners
of her Majesty's Treasury be authorised and empowered to
raise the said sum by annuities for a term not exceeding 30
years—and that such annuities shall be charged upon, and
be payable out of, the said Consolidated Fund.

Mr, S. FITZGERALD asked whether the construction
of a central arsenal would form any part of this year's plan.
Lord PALMERSTON said it would not.
Sir F. SMITH did not think the action of the American
war had at all altered the position of matters ; he con-
tended that the erection of the Spithead forts would be
quite useless.
Sir S. M. PETO was likewise of opinion that the Ame-
rican war had not altered the position of the house on the
question of the construction of forts at Spithead. There
was no parallel between Charleston Harbour and Spithead.
There was no difference of opinion with regard to the point
upon which the judgment of the house had been so strongly
expressed last year. They only asked to have all the de-
tails brought beforo them so that they might be in position
to discuss it fairly and freely next Thursday.
Mr. AYRTON wished to know how it was that while a
central arsenal was one of the objects included in the reso-
lution, they should be told at the same time there was no
vote to be taken for it.

Viscount PALMERSTON explained that what was
meant was, that no vote was to be asked for this year.

Mr. Alderman SALOISIONS said he had paid a visit
(some years ago to Charleston, and from what he knew of
that harbour he would be prepared to support any proposal
of the Government for fortifying their own harbours.
Mr. OSBORNE said he would not oppose the motion,
out of compliment to the noble lord, whom they were glad
to see once more in his place— (cheers)—but he would be
ready to meet the noble lord fairly nest Thursday.
Sir R. FERGTJSSON contended that, there was great
similarity between the harbour of Charleston and Spithead,
and be could only express his surprise at the statement made
by the hon. and gallant member for Chatham.
In reply to Mr. LIMON,
The Marquis of HARTINGTON stated that very diffe•
rent results would attend an attack on Spithead, as com-
pared with Charleston, for both the ships and the guns
would be entirely different.
Sir J. HAY said the difference between Portsmouth and
Charleston dockyards was that the latter could not be bom-
barded without taking the forts outside, whereas Ports.
mouth could be shelled by guns of long range with perfect
safety to the enemy. He therefore opposed the erection of
the forts.

—Mr. LOCKE, as a layman, thought that a fort added to
a floating battery must be better than a floating battery
done—(hear, hear)—and therefore he should vote for the
forts, as he always had done.

Sir J. FE RGUSSON said the distance of the Portsmouth
forts would be 8,000 yards from the dockyard, whereas
Forts Moultrie and Sumter were only 6,000 yards from
Charleston.

Mr. NE WDEGATE strongly advocated the prompt
completion of the national defences.
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE thought a system of chains
across the harbour would be as good as forts.
The resolution was agreed to, and leave given to bring in
the bill.

The Greenwich Hospital (Provision for Widows) Bill
was read a second time.
The Vaccination (Scotland), the Police Improvement
(Scotland), the Provisional Order, th© Stipendiary Magis•
trates, and the Prisons (Ireland) Bills, were read a third
time and pissed.
Other bills were advanced a stage, and the house ad-
journed at half-past one o'clock.

The " gentler sex" at sixty look with complacency on
whitened tresses, but to youth it is a calamity ; remediable,
however. by Herring's magnetic brushes, &c., of which Dr.
Hassall reports, "I regard them as the most p F"rfect brushes
hitherto made, as respects their mechanical construction and
their magnetical action." They are the remedy for grey hair,
neuralgia, rheumatism, &c. N.B.—Counterteiti are being
made. Oboes, 32, Basinghail•street, Loudon.

Last year the Council inaugurated at their
Wimbledon meeting a new system of scoring,
by which bull's-eyes and centres were adopted at
all ranges. The object of this was to give to
steady shooting the advantage of which it was
frequently deprived by mere "flaking" or chance.
This new system answered its purpose so admira-
bly, that its adoption, except for class shooting, at
once became general. This year a still greater boon
will be conferred on riflemen. At present the system
of marking in general use is for a man, protected
by a mantlet, to watch each shot as it strikes the
target, roughly signalling its position by means of
appropriate flags, and washing off the marks when
they Income too numerous. The markers at the last
and previous meetings of the association were
fatigue-parties of the Foot Guards, men altogether
unused to the duties. It was not, therefore, a matter
of surprise that mistakes were made. All fear of in-
correct marking is now obviated by the adoption of
a system of marking which possesses all the advan-
tages of the Swiss system, in addition to peculiar
merits. It is the invention of Capt. Hill, of Brent-
wood, and consists of having appropriate discs to
show bulls-eyes, centres, and outers, each of which
has at the back a small brush. On a bullet striking
the target, the marker at once erases the mark, and
in doing so indicates to those at the firing-point the
exact position of the shot. By this plan the target
is always clean ; there is no loss of time in stopping
to wash targets; mistakes in marking are impos-
sible ; the markers run no risk; and, lastly, the
assistance this mode of indicating the position of the
snots affords to a rifleman in correcting errors tends
rapidly to make him master of his weapon. There
has been an increase in the number of targets to 60.
At all these, except those on the Swiss system and
those for pool firing, when only the bulls-eyes are
signalled, the marking will be on Capt. Hill's sys-
tem, which will, no doubt, hereafter rapidly super-
sede every other.
The total value of the prizes offered for competi-
tion is £4,300, or nearly double the amount of those
won last year. This year the association will
have a running deer of their own (that of last
year was the property of Mr. Lanchster) which
is coloured so as to represent a Highland Red
Deer. Another moving object for military rifle
practice represents a volunteer in the act of
" doubling." The figure, which is from the designs
of Mr. Watt, is vigorous and life-like. One side is
painted to represent a grey uniform, the other
scarlet. The number of times which each is hit
may tend to settle a moot point as to the best colour
3f volunteers' clothing. The proceedings to-day
will be preliminary to the actual commencement of
the meeting to 'morrow. They consist of the com-
petition between the representatives of the Middle-
sex corps for the county bronze medal, the winner
of which will be qualified to compete for the Prince
of Wales's prize, the Middlesex and Lancashire
match, other county matches, sighting practice, and
pool firing. A match certainly not less interesting
than that between two counties, and quite as much
of a representative character, was brought about by
a challenge from the Ist City of Edinburgh to the
Ist City of London, to shoot, 10 men of a side, at
the Wimbledon ranges, five shots each. The coun-
cil, however, decided that no targets could be ap-
priated for the purpose. The gallant challengers,
however, rather than be disappointed, have accepted
the offer of the Ist City of London to shoot at their
range at Plaistow, and the match comes off this day
at 4 p.m.

THE AUSTRALIAN RIFLEMEN.—A short time
ago a challenge was received in England from an
Australian battalion of Volunteers to shoot an equal num-
ber of Volunteers in this country—the latter to be selected
from the best shooting company of enrolled Volunteers for
the year ending 1862, the firing to take place at any range
not being the range of the respective corps. This challenge
was addressed to the Council of the National Rifle Associa-
tion, and it appears that the best shooting company of
Volunteer Rifles in England for the year 1862 was the No.
lof the Nottingham Robin Hoods. This company has de
dared its readiness to accept the challenge, and on Satur-
day morning Lieut.-Colonel Wright received a letter from
the Council of the National Rifle Association stating that
an answer accepting the challenge had been sent to Aus-
tralia. The contest will take place in September. The
distances aro 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 yards ;
five shots at each range. The shooting will take place at
the same time bEngland and Australia-10 men from each
corps.

Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur-
chasing Horniman's pure Tea ; very choice at 3s. 4d. and
4s. "High Standard" at 4s. 4d. (formerly 4s. Bd.), is the
strongest and most delicious imported. Agents in every
own supply it in packets.