The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-26 00:00:00

7HE ARMY.

By the death of Major-Gen. C. Diggle, K. 11:, a
pension for distinguished and meritorious services
is placed at the disposal of his Royal Highness the
Commander-in-Chief. Major-Gen. Diggle was one
of the few remaining officers who served with
the 52d Light Infantry, under General Sir John
Moore, and on the expedition to Gotteaburgh.
He subsequently served in the Peninsula, and was
present during the retreat and at the battle of
Coranna ; also in the action of the Coa, Battle of
Busaco, and the retreat upon Torres Vedras. Gen.
Diggle likewise served during the campaign from
1813-15, including the attack on Merxheim, where
he commanded the 2d battalion in the advance
upon Antwerp for the bombardment of the French
fleet. He was also present at the battle of Water-
loo, where, during the brave repulse of the French
Imperial Guard, he was severely wounded. The
dates of the deceased General's commissions were—
Ensign, Aug. 31, 1804 ; Lieutenant, Feb. 14, 1805 ;
Captain, May 24, 1810; Major, June 18, 1815 ;
Lieutenant-Colonel, Jan. 10, 183'7; Colonel, Nov.
11, 1851; and Major-General, Aug. 31, 1855.
Instructions have been forwarded from the office
of the Deputy Adjutant-General to Colonel Har-
ness, C. 8,, Director of the Royal Engineer estab-
lishment, Chatham, directing a detachment of 22
non-commissioned officers and men who have com-
pleted their curriculum of instruction at the topo-
graphical and drawing schools, Chatham, to be
held in readiness to join the companies of Engi-
neers now engaged upon the Ordnance survey of
Great Britain. The candidates selected will pro-
ceed from headquarters to Southampton on the lst
of October.
The order from the Horse Guards authorizing
the augmentation of the corps of Royal Engineers
by the formation of two additional companies to
that branch of the service was read to the officers
and troops of the corps at a full-dress parade held
at Brompton-barracks, Chatham, yesterday, under
the command of Lieut.-Col. Browne, C.B. The
augmentation will raise number of companies of
Royal Engineers to 40, six of which will be the
depot companies for the supply of well-trained men
for India and colonial service. The augmentation
of the corps will take effect from the Ist of October,
when the additional companies will be formed at
head-quarters, Capt. R. B. Rimington having been
appointed to the command of the 39th, and Capt.
W. S. Boileau to that of the 40th company.

Than this experiment nothing could possibly have
been more conclusive. Not only was the armour-
plate pierced, but the piece opposed to the actual
stroke of the flat-headed shell was driven through
teak and inner lining, and, in truth, became another
shot of some 301 b. weight. In fact, this last shell
might have destroyed the whole of one side of the
target had the shell been only capable of contain-
ing an adequate bursting charge—say 101 b. or 121 b.
of powder. This latter most important requisite,
however, the Whitworth shell, from its peculiar con-
struction, is at yet unable to accomplish, and until
it is brought about nearly all the advantages gained
by its enormous powers of penetration will, com-
paratively speaking, be in a manner lost against ,
iron frigates. Once, however, that the shell is
made to hold a powerful charge of 101 b. of fine pow-
der, iron vessels will become, we believe, almost as
much at the mercy of these ordnance as wooden
ones now are to the terrible shells of Armstrong.
This experiment with the shell was, therefore,
considered so far satisfactory as to its penetrating
powers that no further attempts were made with it,
and the trials were continued with the Horsfall
gun at 800 yards against the uninjured plates of the
same target. The immense difference between
the powers of a smooth bore and a rifled gun,
both as to accuracy and force of its projectile,
then at once became apparent. The first shot
fired from the Horsfall with 741 b. of powder and a
2751 b. round shot struck in front of and some ten
or twelve feet to the left of the target, which it
missed altogether. The gun was relaid again, and
again the shot struck the ground about 40 feet
in front of the mark, ricochetting with a slight
rise, and striking full on an uninjured plate. In
this case it smashed an immense hole, shattered
the teak, and fractured the inner skin, leaving all
the elements of a fearful leak, as Mr. Whitworth's
first shot had done, but, like that also, not going
quite through. The third shot again missed the
target entirely, striking wide of the mark; and
the fourth, and last, only just saved the now
sadly diminished reputation of the gun by hit-
ting the extreme uppermost corner of the tar-
get, the metal of which it smashed. The
failure of this gun at this range was there-
fore as satisfactorily settled as the success of Mr.
Whitworth's, and the trials were discontinued. It
was next intended to proceed with the 12-pounder
Yesterday morning the experiments, which last
week elicited such startling results with the guns Whitworth against a plate of no less than four
and shells of Mr. Whitworth, were again resumed
inches in thickness, but as at each end of the shots
on a larger and more important scale, in the pre- we have described the spectators had to retire long
sence of a number of officers and scientific gentle- distances from the targets to the shelter of the
men, at the old Practice-ground at Shoeburyness. "splinter proofs," many hours had been consumed
It will be in the recollection of our readers that and the day was waning fast. It was therefore de-
last week Mr. Whitworth's 12 and 74-pounders tided to give up further trials, except to test if the
were tried at 200 yards' range, with shell against armour plates which had been fired at were up to
iron plates of various thicknesses and sizes, and al- the proper standard of resistance. This trial test
ways with the most astonishing effect, the 74-Penn- was made at 200 yards with the old smooth-bore
der shell, with a comparatively very light charge 68-pounder, and the depth of the indent made by
of powder, being driven through the mass of 4-inch this projectile showed at once that the plates were
iron, apparently with the greatest ease. No breach, by no means equal in resisting power to those which
however, was made in the target so complete as to
covered the ol W dWarrior target. The metal was ex-
satisfy the Ordnance and Iron Plate Committee that ceedingly brittle.
the same astonishing effects could be obtained with With these so far satisfactory efforts, pro and con,
a larger gun when tried at a greater range than the experiments of the day were brought to a close,
200 yards, and against a target constructed of the to be, no doubt, renewed again with some much
same strength of the broadside of the renowned thicker and stouter kind of target, which in its tarn
Warrior. It was to set at rest whatever doubts may perhaps gain a short-lived victory over the
existed in thb minds of those who thus disbelieved guns. Thus, from week to week public opinion,
in the powers of Mr. Whitworth's gun and its flat- and even the opinion of our scientific authorities, is
fronted shot and shell that the most important of kept vacillating between the comparative merits of
yesterday were made in the presence of
the trials of y the resistance of plate and the penetration of shot.
Lord Clyde,
Sir W. Armstrong, Mr. Whitworth, What, it may be asked, is to be the practical result
Iron Plate
the
the members of Committee, and a of all these experiments ? Are we at last to deye-
bly a
very large assembly of artillery and officers.navl
lope a really good gun which can send its shot
ilheignn used on this occasionwas a guts •
whiehinour through any armour, or is armour to gain the day?
experiments we ventured to
recent notice of these
most The whole of this question is beset with difficulties.
think would be found the formidable assailant
The iron men believe that they can so coat a ship as
armour plates have yet had to encounter--namely, to practically render her invulnerable to any shot ;
an ordnance muzzle loader, manufactured at Wool- while, on the other hand, artillerists are as firmly
wish on Sir W. Armstrong's wrought iron coil prAn-
of opinion that they can make guns which shall also
ciple, but with the beautiful hexagonal bore of T. be Practically equal to crippling any iron frigate
ht was 7 tons
Whitworth's mode of rifling. Its weight that ever boated. Who is to decide this disagree-
-8 cwt., its length about 12 feet, and its calibre. a ment of the doctors, especially when the results of
quite these Shoeburyness 120-pounder, though, in fact, capable of and experiments vary every week,
equal to thowing shot of at least double that and are almost equally strong alike for ships and
2
weight with perfect safety. It was placed on a guns . In our humble judgment we venture to think
i
platform at a distance of 600 yards from the that, n the end, guns must carry the day, for,
section of the Warrior target, a longer range IN bile there is no limit to the size and weight of the
by 400 yards than any gun has hitherto been laid ordnance which fortifications ov even ships can carry,
at Shoeburyness to penetrate such a formidable there is a most decided limit to the weight of armour
mass of iron and teak. At a distance of 800 yards which seagoing frigates will soPnort—a limit we '
uorsfall or Mersey gen was also levelled have fully reached, if indeed we have not overpassed,
the great
he same target. This gun, it will be remem- in the 51-in. armour vessels now building. As far as
at
la' at 200 yards' range sent its shot through the regards this blacksmith's method of defending ships
'last occasion making hugea ragged is concerned, we have not much advanced
target, on the upon the
centre of the plate, and crushing unwieldy floating batteries that attacked g•
hole in the very muurn,
The admirers of this now or those still more hideous " lumps,' of the Glatt=
through all beyond.' .
gun maintained that and " Trusty" class, which were with difficulty kept
very old-fashioned smooth-bare
ds it would do again from foundering as they were towed with chain
what had been done at 200 yar
with the same ease at 800. Accordingly, tie.cables up the Baltic. The Russian
.32-pounders

I.4IPORTAN7 RXPERIMN7S AT SHOE-
BU.RYNESS.