The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-10 00:00:00

'NOVEMBER 10, 1862.

WHITWORT H. AND ARMSTRONG RIFLE

GUNS.

Mr. Jos. Whitworth has addressed the following
letter to the editor of the Times:—Sir,—ln a letter
which appeared in the Times of Nov. 6, Sir W.
Armstrong, while commenting on the late trial of
our respective field guns near Shorncliffe,has made
some statements the tone of which I regret, and
which necessarily call for a reply.
With the arrangements at Shorncliffe I had no-
thing
whatever to do, except that I went there ex- I
pecting to see my guns officially tried, and before
going I was unaware that any Armstrong guns were
to be fired on that occasion. Sir William animad-
verts strongly upon the account of the trials which
was quoted in tha limes from the Army and Nary
Gazette, but he doe not point to any of the facts as
being incorrect, though he has, of course, every
facility for ascertaining their truth. It is necessary
to advert to this, because it might be inferred from
Sir William Armstrong's letter that the trials at
Shorncliffe were of a partial and one-sided cha-
racter; for he says, "It would seem that
Whitworth and Armstrong field guns were fired
in the presence of Mr. Whitworth, Colonel
Boxer, and their friends," omitting to add what
was distinctly stated in the article quoted by you,
that the trials were really official, and " took place
in the presence of the Inspector General of Artillery►
General Bloomfield, and a large staff of officers."
Among these were Colonel Cuppage, Colonel
Bingham, representing the Horse Guards, Colonel
Marriott, and other officers.
Sir William, without pointing out any errors,
expresses in general terms his doubts as to the
accuracy of the statements quoted in your paper,
observing that on other occasions different results
had been obtained with his guns. This i s possible
but I should ask whether in these instances the
trials were public or private, and under what condi-
tions they took place. On various occasions public
trials of my guns have been made, and the actual
[ results of those trials were all published at the time.

It would be very satisfactory if Sir William would
point to results obtained by him which he is ready to
compare with them ; for example, after the Arm-
strong 32-pounder gun gave a range of 9,175 yards,
I obtained with one of my small three-pounders a
range of 9,700 yards, and with a 12-pounder a range
of 10,200 yards. Again, my 70. pounder gave a range
of 3,000 yards at 5 deg., and a range of 5,000 yards
at 10 deg. Although Sir William undertook (as
stated in Parliament by the Minister of War, the
late Lord Herbert) to produce a gun expressly for
range, wnich should surpass mine (not made ex-
pressly tor range), I have never heard of his guns
having equalled the results given above.
When results such as these are openly published,
there are surely ample means for making a com-
parison, each gun being allowed to do all it can,
without their being fired actually side by side.
Why has not Sir William availed himself of this
mode of comparison, which was open to us both had
he so desired it ?

In his letter he now expresses his opinion that it
is " high time that a proper and systematic compa-
rison should be made between Mr. Whitworth's
guns and his." Re therefore admits that no such
comparison has yet been made, though the Rifle
Ordnance Committee in 1858 decided in favour of
his gun and against mine. In a former communi-
cation I alluded in general terms to this subject, but
from comments made on my letter in your leading
article it appeared that my allusion did not convey
sufficient information.

It is therefore necessary plainly to state what
were the proceeding of the Rifle Ordnance Com•
mittee with reference to the Armstrong gun and
mine, when they recommended the former to be
adopted for the service. I am now for the first
time enabled to give this explanation, having just
received the recently published report of the evi-
dence given before the Select Committee of the
House of Commons of last session. Its appendix
furnishes me, for the first time, with a copy of the
Ordnance Committee's report upon the Armstrong
gun and mine, and with a list of the members by
whom it was made. Among the most prominent
of those members were Sir W. "Wiseman, now the
vice-president of the Ordnance Select Committee,
and the secretary, Capt. A. Noble, who afterwards
became a partner in the El,wick Ordnance Co.

From the evidence taken by the House of Come
mons, it appears that a programme of the trials of
the Armstrong gun proposed to be made in 1858,
was previously submitted to Sir William by the
Committee, and he consented to it, stipulating,
however, that he should be allowed to co-operate
personally or by his assistants. Ne such opportu-
nity was afforded to me, no programme was fur-
nished to me, nor was I even allowed to be present
at the trial of my own guns, which were brass
muzzle-loading guns, bored and rifled identically
with the 12-pounders recently tried at Shorncliffe.
I did not know what was the nature of the in-
tended trials nor their results. The Committee,
who might have communicated with me in
the same way that they did with Sir W.
Armstrong, omitted to do so; and more than that,
in a letter from the War-office they promised to visit
my works at Manchester, and I fully expected they
would come, before they decided what gun they
would recommend, but though they visited the
Elswick Works, they never came to mine.
It was to these circumstances I alluded when I
protested against being again referred to a commit-
tee some of whose members had already decided
against me, and who would necessarily see in the
success of my guns the condemnation of their pre-
vious judgment. Though 1 object, and I think with
reason, to being subjected to the direction of a tri-
bunal so biassed, I accept readily Sir W. Arm-
strong's proposition to match his guns and projec-
tiles against my guns and projectiles.
To bring the matter to a direct issue, I would
propose to name two members, and that Sir William
should name two, who, with a chairman chosen by
the four, shalt form the tribunal of reference. What-
ever that tribunal shall agree upon as to time, place,
and nature of trial, and mode of arriving at a deci-

sion, I will accept, in the earnest wish that the re-
sult may be advantageous to the public service, and
in confidenbe, without any reserve on my part, that
it will be of an amicable nature.

Before concluding, there are one or two points
Sir William's letter which require to be noticed. It
is true that nearly three years ago propositions were
made that competitive trials between Armstrong
and Whitworth guns should take place, It was
proposed that they should be conducted by the Ord-
nance Select Committee, and to that I assented,
though I felt that, for reasons already explained,
some of its members must necessarily be influenced

against my gun.
I asked, however, first, that the trials might be
attended by disinterested spectators, such as mem-
bers
of the principal scientific institutions; second,
that my guns might be worked by my own men,
or men chosen and selected by me; third, that the
trials once begun might be continued without in-
termission, so that they might not be prolonged in-
definitely.
The Ordnance Select Committee conceded the
first point but refused the others.
Being very anxious for the trials to take place, I
yielded the second point, though it was one which,
as has been explained, had been conceded to Sir IN.
Armstrong, when the Ordnance Committee tried his
guns.

As the programme was so long and varied that
i` weulri hay, xf, net (1 over many mon. },s, un!ess
carried out without intermission, I Vas atthged to
repeat my request for the third point.
The Ordnance Committee persisted in refusing to
concede it, and the trials did not take place for this
reason.

With reference to my 7-inch gun, which pene-
trated the liyarrior target at Shoeburyness, Sir Wil-
liam complains that 1 have not recognised my obli-
gations to himself.
If he will state which of his inventions has been
used in the construction of that gun I shall be very
glad to express my acknowledgments for them. He
probably supposes that its inner tube, like that of
his gun, is made of welded coiled bars. This is not
the case; it is formed of a solid bar, bored out—
consti uction of which he, I believe, does not ap-
prove. It is true the gun is built up and its hoops
are made of welded coiled iron, but so were those of
guns made by me in 1855.
Guns built up of welded coiled hoops were, as Sir
William must admit, well known in this country
before he introduced his rifled ordnance. Though
for practically carrying out the system he is enti-
tled to claim full merit, he equally with myself is
indebted to those who went before us for the prin-
ciple of what is termed the coiled construction. He
has used it in his way for his purpose ; I used it
in my way for mine.
For the ready and able assistance afforded me by
Mr. Anderson in the manufacture of my gun at
Woolwich I have already expressed my thanks, but
it is only due to myself to state that the gun, be-
sides being rifled on my system, was made to draw-
ings supplied by me. It was of too large a size for
my works at Manchester at present to undertake to
make it, and for that reason I asked ior permission
to have it made at Woolwich. Similar permission,
it should be remembered, has been readily accorded
by the War-office to many others besides myself. I
have before stated I should have preferred the gun
to be made of hoops cast in one piece, and ham-
mered, instead of being formed of welded coiled
bars, and gave my reasons for my preference, to
which I adhere.

With reference to the use of improvements made
by me in artillery and projectiles, I should regret
extremely if there could be any doubt that I am,
and always have been, desirous that they should be
used in every way that can benefit the public ser-
vice.

Sir W. Armstrong well knows that during the
last two or three years he has made such experi-
ments as he wished with steel flat fronted projectiles

without any impediment being offered by me, and
if he has not done as much with them as my guns
have done, it is not the fault of the projectiles. Pro-
bably, as Sir W. cannot yet see the mechanical ad-
vantage their shape gives them over the " round-
heads," he did not give them sufficient trial.
Until I shall have completed the trials of my
shells, and fully proved their power at long ranges,
I am naturally unwilling that concurrent trials of
them should be made, which might not with other
guns be more successful than those made with solid
projectiles of the same shape, especially when no
application is made to me, as is usual in such cases,
for permission to use my improvements.
When my own experiments are concluded it will
give me much pleasure to see Sir William try, if he

chooses, projectiles like mine with his guns; and I
repeat here what I have already stated on other
occasions, and what I have endeavoured practically
to carry out, that my object is to aid as much as I
can, and in any way that I can, the public service.
If it be to its advantage to adopt the whole or any
part of my improvements, I will readily give my
assistance in furthering the adoption, without con-
sidering the persons who may have to carry it out.

Constructing in the Royal dockyards, having just
completed those required for the casing of the Royal
Oak. It might naturally be supposed that where
130 much attention and energy are devoted to the
construction of vessels intended for warlike opera-
ti3ns the comparatively humble demands of peaceful
commerce would be little regarded, but such is not
the case. In addition to the Poonah, of which we
shall presently speak, the company are building a
paddle steamer of 500 tons for the Dublin Trinity
Corporation, and a large sailing iron vessel, in-
tended as a yacht for a private gentleman, which is
expected to afford more ample accommodation and
to be more speedy than any other vessel of her class.
There are other works which, although compre-
hended among the et ceteras of the Thames Iron
Company, would be regarded as important items in
the operations of less extensive, but still not insig-
❑ificant establishments.

The particular event of Saturday was, as we have
stated, the launch of the Poonah, a large screw
steamer, measuring 315 ft. in length and 41ft. ex-
treme breadth, with a depth of hold of 30ft. Her
burden is 2,597 tons In her construction every late
improvement has been adopted, not only to secure
strength and speed but to provide increased accom-
modation and comfort for passengers. The most
confident anticipations are entertained that she will
be one of the fastest vessels afloat, and her beautiful
form and floe proportions fully justify such hopes.
The recent death of Mr. Wilcox, M.P., chair-
man of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navi-
gation Company, could not fail to have a depress.
ing effect upon such an occason, and in consequence
of that sad event none of the directors of the com-
pany were present on Saturday to witness the
launch of their new ship. The ceremony itself
would have been deferred had not all the arrange-
ments already progressed so far as to render
postponement a matter of great difficulty. Soon
after 2 o'clock, being nearly high water, the ship-
wrights commenced to cut away the shores under
the vessel's bpttom, and those supports being re-
moved the ship, having been duly christened by
Mrs. Collier, moved gradually down the ways
amid the cheers of thousands of spectators, and en-
tered the river with a quietn( ss, grace, and ease
that seemed to betoken she had gladly reached her
proper element. Immediately after being launched
the vessel was towed up to Deptford, where she
will be fitted with engines of 500-horse power,
manufactured by Messrs. Humphreys and Tennant,
The guests of the Thames Ironworks Company
then proceeded to one of the offices, which had been
tastefully fitted up for the occasion, and there par-
took of a sumptuous dejeuner, with the indispens-
able Mr. Harker as toastmaster. Mr. P. Rolt,
chairman of the company, presided, and among
those present were Mr. G. W. Bentinck, M.P.,
Mr. Vansittart, M.P., Ismael Pasha (Gen. Kmety),
Sir It. Bromley, &c. It was stated that the slip
from which the Poonah has just been launched
would be immediately occupied by another of simi-
lar character, also for the Peninsular and Oriental
Company, the fleet of which now amounts to nearly
80,000 tons.