The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-01 00:00:00

N EW S PAPER
water. It is to mount 80 guns in dou ,11.411kt2V '
none are to be placed in casematos, .
hospitals, and buildings for the garristoroi*Olsn4lo4
proof, as at the 'Verne. ar-74rre'a1/4.7,,,
We have spoken of the East Weir, thesdiii44-.
leads from the scarped cliffs of the Verne on ge hakLtur S .
side down to the water, These slopes have been cut away
so as to form five powerful and well-constructed earth-.
works, which, on a larger scale, very much resemble some
of the mole important links in the similar chain of defences
thrown up by the Allies round Balaklava. There are to be
five of these batteries, the three smallest mounting from 10
to 12 heavy guns each, and two large ones mounting 22
guns each—about 80 guns in all. Each of these batteries,
besides being of the most solid description, is lined inside
with stone, large and carefully protected magazines, and
bomb-proof places to shelter the defenders from the effects
of a vertical fire. From the position and different elevations,-
varying from 80 to 150 feet above the level of the sea, there
is no part of the harbour or approach to it, whether round
the head of the breakwater or through the south opening,
near the small fort, which is not covered by their fire; and
quiet and inoffensive as these neat green lines of i.arapct
and glacis appear from the sea, looking at first as if it. vi.ero.
intended to lay out the slopes in terrace gardens, th2so
massive batteries of the East \Veir would ho quite ir-
tnidable to ships attempting to enter the bay as the o.ro
works of the Verne itself. The rear of each of the ,aorks
is left open, as they all rest upon the cliffs of the ir,,rne it-
self, with which they have a communication by a deep cut
aigzag up the slope, leading under cover to the floor of the
great ditch of the citadel. In addition to all these• works
it was at one time suggested to form, after the manner of a •
breakwater, a small island in the sea, about a mile froni the'
fort now building in the extremity of the present break,
water, and in this island to erect another circular
granite fort of three tiers of guns, similar to that to be built.
at Spithead, This idea, however, has for the present beau,:
very wisely abandoned, and we hope will never be revived. Apart from its stupenduous cost (and it would bo nothing
short of a million), it would, as a permanent defensive IN:Or-15
be utterly superfluous and unnecessary. When the
sent and intended works are all completed Portland willi)a;
the strongest fortified harbour in the world, and additi
towers would be as entirely works of supererogatio
were proposed to cover Gibraltar itself with 4-iaCh plates
of iron. If anything were ever needed here it would be is
the shoal waters, so as to drive an enemy's veasek as closa
over to the guns of the Weir, Verne, North b irt, and
Nothe as possible,Latid a ffoefing iron battery would atuply
answer this purpose. But even this latter simple_Vilar
seems supetfluous when we come taremember
hostile fleet bold enough to enter the harbour the works wo
have mentioned could concentrate a fire of more than 300 of
the very heaviest guns, all so elevated as to be practically
out of reach of the guns of a fleet to reply to them. In
fact, of the 300 guns more than one-third would be firing
almost point-blank down upon an enemy's decks. What
has and will be done is not only enough to render Portland
harbour secure, but, as far as human skill and caution can
foresee, absolutely invulnerable from sea or land. For an
enemy to approach it with evil intentions would be, not
figuratively but literally, to venture into the cannon's
mouth,

RAILWAY AND OTHER COMPANIES.

CENTRAL WALES EXTENSION.
The amount of additional capital required by this com-
pany in their application to Parliament for their new exten-
sion is £160,000, and to make working arrangements with
the London and North-Western Railway.