The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-12 00:00:00

VIE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECE'M'BER 12, 186 R.

erslolhneongtt
gunnery ship at
I a
This
i n g would
ba
se liable
fiiuctrraoei
dlnlbgye
from pillael
tuneseattrrlaeo.tt
oee d(.l
bt hyi cskt :eels ss
hooft P.
pounderi a
expe-
riments trial
sow: i
ot
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to
hat
-rhbdi
os r
teh kidAen
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Portsmouth. The result of the few shots fired
showed that where cast-iron spherioal shot and
even wrought-iron bolts failed in effect, the
steel projectiles crashed through the plates
which had successfully resisted the others.
The following extract from the report of
the trial shows what reliance our seamen may
place on this doubtful protection :—" Spherical and
steel shot have been fired from the gun with 201 b.
of powder, only a fifth of tho weight of the shot,
and have penetrated through a 53- inch armour-
plate, bolted on the side of the Monarch target ship,
and also through the side of the ship itself, covering
the deck of the target ship with splinters of the
ship's planking, timbers, and iron knees, fragments
of the broken plate, and of the steel shot itself,
which had broken into small pieces in its course."
It is absolutely impossible for a vessel of reasonable
size to carry more than six-inch plates, and we enter-
tain serious doubts if even that thickness of metal
can be carried with safety, and certainly not with
convenience. Yet oven at this comparatively early
stage of experiments, we have reached the limit to
which we may carry iron plating, while we are as
yet ignorant to what perfection artillery may be
brought. The question naturally suggests itself,
whether it would not be better to let well alone for
the present, and for the Admiralty to rest satisfied
with armour-plated ships as they are. Let them
convert as many of the old three-deckers as possible
into armour-plated frigates, protecting only their
most vulnerable parts, rather than go on building
at a vast cost vessels constructed upon theories
which have never had the advantage of a practical
test. Mr. REID is a clever man, and we have great
confidence in his ability ; his new ship, the Belle-
rophon, according to his own showing, is to do
wonders. We hope that she may realise his expec-
tations ; but we cannot help entertaining doubts
whether, in endeavouring to make her perfection,
and trying to accomplish too much, he may not be
disappointed. The cleverest engineer of our time,
the man who first demonstrated the theory in ship-
building that "length gives stability," and who
built one of the handsomest and fastest steamers
even now afloat, in endeavouring to sur-
pass himself and carry out his theory
ad extremis produced the greatest failure in naval
architecture ever constructed ; and yet the lines of
the Great Eastern were with certain alterations
only an extension of those of the Great Britain. It
it be necessary to cover a ship with heavy plates, it
will be necessary to increase her tonnage in propor-
tion to the weight she has to bear, and by so doing
her draught of water would be necessarily increased.
Upon this principle the Warrior, Black Prince, and
Nlinotaur have been constructed ; and yet, although
these vessels are so large that they can be of little
or no service against an enemy's harbours or in
shoal water, even they cannot earry plates thick
enough to withstand steel projectors at close quarters.
We may, however, console ourselves in this much,
that if we cannot render a seaman as secure on
board our men-of-war as they would be at home,
and if we cannot render our ships so many
impregnable iron safes, we are at least as well off
as our neighbours. The American Monitors and
ironclads have had to retire from the fire of the
Confederate batteries. The iron plates with which
the French frigates have been coated are inferior
to those turned out by the English firms. Despite
all the invectives that have been launched against
Sir WILLIAM ARMSTRONG'S guns, we do not think
that any other nation can produce better field artil-
lery than his 12 and 40 pounders. We do not
for au instant excuse the Government for
granting him, as it were, a monopoly of
the trade, and refusing, until quite recently,
to allow a competition between his guns and
those of WHITWORTH, BLAKELY, and others, bu

we do maintain that, for the purpose for which
these guns have been constructed, they have
answered every requirement. Extreme range was
never his object, what he aimed at was accuracy
of the fire to a certain distance, and with a most

destructive shell. Now, for all practical purposes
4,000 yards is quite as far as a gun would, with
rare exceptions, be required to throw a shot or
shell, and up to this range, and even beyond it,
the Armstrong guns are very effective. As regards
guns of a heavy calibre, suitable for our large
frigates, we must await the result of the experi-

meats at present being carried on, and as we
trust that now a fair field and no favour may
be granted to all parties, our navy will soon be
provided with as effective batteries as the army is.
In speaking thus highly of the ARMSTRONG gun we
do not wish to deprecate his rivals, but only desire
to show that the wild declamation raised in certain

quarters against Sir W. ARMSTRONG are unfounded

and that although there is no doubt that there ib
room for considerable improvement in our ordnance
it can, nevertheless, bear comparison with that of

any other nation. The go-a-head Americans use

three hundred pounders as ordinary service guns,

and boast of being able to throw shot and shel

seven miles,with what accuracy we do not pretend

_
to say ; but this is at least certain, that at the siege

of Charleston, it has been in general a toss up
whether the enemy or the gunners were killed by

these large overloaded pieces. According to the

course at present followed we may go on increasing
the size of our ships and guns until both become

unwieldy and unmanageable.

There is moderation

in all things, except the theories of enthusiasts, and
it is the duty of the country to place some restraint

on the proceedings of such individuals, especially
when the nation has to pay the cost.

LIMITED LIABILITY.—We observe from a report
of the law proceedings in the Scottish courts last
week that the Court of Session, in the case of a judicial
factor appointed under the Pupils' Protection Act, refused
to accept as security the bonds of guarantee of the National
Guarantee and Suretyship Association (Limited), a com-
pany which was started in Scotland about siz months ago.
The grounds of judgment were that, whilst admitting the
respectability of the company, it being only established
under the provisions of the Limited Liability Act, it was
not possessed of that direct legislative authority which the
Pupils Protection Act appeared t,) contemplate in allowing
the bonds of public companies established under Act of
Parliament to be taken as security; and, further, that the
Court could not sanction the acceptance of the bonds of a
company as security where the liability of the shareholders
was limited to the amount of their shares.

MAGNETIC PowErt.--A lecturer was dilating
upon the powers of the magnet, defying any one
to show or name anything surpassing its powers. A
hearer demurred, and instanced a young lady, who used
to attract him thirteen miles every Sunday. —American
-Pa
Per.

allthe tnn© that rear
vantage PbLeETE VIEW OF
IST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.
remembered that it was a matter of
vantage of tho 0 . the City authorities did not take ad-
tcheceueraosat,ntrstienatdePrerumng at the west end of Cannon-street to
of pteci view of St. Paul's Cathedral from
tteertuitting to be erected a semi-circular
, which is more like the stern of
sat:cokldlabsuhiilodnineag,iniaur..eooin
this obstructive pile, a
_al', and Evans, the well-
illiavo raised a struc-
land operations. At Zar than the abode of commercial
private firm, Messrs. Arthur
known nwahnidchetsterunsninvientgva.rreighhotat ,eie
:night have been
rtloym no one point cane
thrZ
this thoroughL• to Watling-street,
must
our noble cathedral be now obtained,
ande.o,:apl,ete view of
which is needed is really but a small one, thSe the sacrifice
terminated.icf un
showsroev'
h o
eleAgr I
not be surprised to find so manifest and creditaPbulele
im-
provement yet carried (Alt.—Morning' PM, an

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

T HE CONGRESS.

PARIS, DEC. 12.

The Constitutioiznel of this morning publishes an
article, signed by M. Linaayrac, upon the replies
to the Congress proposition, which are now nearly
all known. Tho writer says :—" Tho events in
Denmark prove that the proposition was opportune.
The line of conduct to be followed by France is
traced out. After having expressed regret to Eng-
land, and thanks to the Powers who accede to the
propositions, France can give the required expla-
nations. Nothing is adverse to a preliminary un-
derstanding, the advantages of which are manifest.
In the midst of all the uncertainties and differences
this understanding would create fixed points; and
if the majority of the members of the European
family concurred therein a considerable result
would be obtained, on which we should have to
congratulate ourselves."

The reply of the King of Denmark to the
Emperor Napoleon's invitation to a Congress is
published this morning.

Letters received here from Japan, to the 15th
October, state that at an extraordinary meeting of
Daimios it was decided, by 65 against 47 votes,
that there was no ground for declaring war against
foreigners.

PRUSSIA.
BRUSSELLS, DEC. 11 (Evening).
Advices received here from Copenhagen state, as
a current rumour, that the majority in the Rigsraad
intended to propose that the execution of the con-
stitution of Nov. 18 be suspended until further
orders.

The Dczfibladet and Flyvepost announce that the
negotiations for the treaty of alliance with Sweden
have been resumed. It is stated, upon -what is
said to be reliable authority, that the treaty will be
sanctioned.

THE POLISH INSURRECTION.
ST. PETERSBURG, DEC. 7.

The Invalide Russe pubishes a military bulletin,
whence is extracted the following remark upon the
population inhabiting the confines of ancient
Poland :—" The women have relinquished mourn-
ing in the centre of Poland, and even at Warsaw.
The use of Polish national costumes, however, is
constantly on the increase in Kieff—the cradle of
the Russian people."

CRACOW, DEC. 8.

The Cats continues to appear. It is said that
the Minister of Justice at Vienna displayed great
surprise at explanations being asked of him respect-
ing the suspension of the paper for three months.
The Minister is stated to have replied that be had
no knowledge of the measure, which must be ex•
elusively attributed to the local authorities of this
city. It is believed, therefore, that the interdict
upon the publication of the paper has been removed
by superior order from Vienna.

The Czas of to-day says :—" A skirmish took
place yesterday between the police of this city and
the political prisoners, to whom the police refused
water. One of the prisoners, M. Victor Daszewski,
was seriously wounded by a bayonet stab above the
left eye, and obliged to be taken to the hospital.
" More numerous patrols than ever continue to
effect arrests en masse in the streets.
" The Lemberg police have made a minute search
in the post-office of that town.

" An insurgent chief in the palatinate of Lublin,
Laplachta, formerly an officer in the Austrian
army, has been sentenced to six weeks' confinement.
His advocate vainly urged the exemplary conduct
of his client while in the Austrian service, and the
six months' preliminary confinement the accused
had suffered previous to trial."

SPAIN.
MADRID, DEC. H.
_

An amendment to the address has been brought
forward in the Chamber of Deputies, to the effect
that the Government should support the Congress
proposition and the temporal power of the Pope,

FRANCE.
PARIS, DEc. 11 (Evening).
The monetary rosition shown by the balance
of the Bank of France i 3 good, but it is stated that
large sums will be withdrawn in the course of a few
days.

The bill for the now loan of 300 million francs
v
Twhi lel
ebeeeldaiitdi
ens, before the
however, C r
hp
as Legislatife on Monday.
not ya transpired.
It is uncertain whether the loan will be raised by
public subscription, or through the bankers and
capitalists, but it is believed the Emperor is greatly
opposed to any combination involving a departure
from the system of public subscription he has in-
augurated.

BOURSE, Dec. 11.—The market has been rather
heavy, and with little business doing. Threes, for
the Account, which opened at 67fr. 35c., are now
at 67f. 20c. Mobilier have but slightly varied.
Railway shares quiet, and for the most part with
prices well maintained. The market closed as
follows:

41 per Cents 95 15
00. end month —

Italian Loan 7l 60
Do. end month 7l 80
New ditto ......
Do. end month —
Russian
Austrian
Spanish Threes 52
Rome Debt
Deferred

3 per Cents
Do. end month 67 20

Credit M0bi1ier....1043
Do. end m0nth....1045

Bank Shares 3330

Credit Fancier ....1230

Roman

RAIL'

'AltB.
Cash. Account.
972 50 .. 975
970 975

Orleans ...............
Northern
New ditto .............. ---
Lyons and alecliturranean 932 50 .. 935
New ditto ............ . 887 50
Geneva.. .............. 500 • •
&Althorn .............. 690 687 50
Western .............. 507 50 ..
Eastern
.... 480 478 75
Sardinian .................... 400 393 75
Austrian ......
Lorpbard ........
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona

INDIA.
DEATH OF LORD ELGIN.

A telegram received at the India-office confirms
the melancholy foreboding as to Lord Elgin. He
died on the 20th of November at Dhurumsalla.

(TELEGRAM RECEIVED DEC. 11, 1863.)

BOMBAY, Nov. 29.
Lord Elgin died at Dhurumsalla at 2 a.m. on the
20th of November, and was buried privately upon
the following day, in accordance with his own ex'
press desire.

health is good. They are well-provisioned, and
have plenty of ammunition. General Chamberlain
has resigned the command on account of his wound
and ill-health; Major-General Garvock is appointed
to succeed him.