The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-03 00:00:00

An English Gun in France.

A Paris correspondent of the Standard writes as
follows :—The remarks of some of your contempo-
raries on the inefficient armament of the French
ironclads which took part in the naval festival at
Portsmouth shows how little is really known in
England of what is being done in this respect by.
the French Government. It is true that these ves-
sels are at present only armed with the 50 'pounder
smooth bore and the 68 pounder hooped rifle, but
the Government is now making strenuous exertions
to render their artillery superior to ours, and if our
authorities are not- a little more on the alert' they
will succeed. The system which is now being worked
out in France was introduced by an Englishman of
the name of Parsons. Ile submitted a plan to
the Emperor of making new and strengthening the
old-fashioned cast-iron guns by lining 'them with a
reinforced tube of steel; the Suggestion was acted
on, and an experimental gun altered under Mr.
Parson's superintendence. The endurance it showed
was so astonishing that the Government officials,
who were at first dead against the scheme, are now
so convinced of its superiority to all others that its
adoption is decided on, and some very formidable
guns are in course of construction on this plan. I
have fortunately been able to obtain full particulars
of the trial of this gun, for the correctness of which
I can vouch, and I think it will haVe the effect
of opening the eyes of some of our great
gunmakers at home,. who as yet have done
nothing to equal it. The following are the
particulars :—The gun was originally a cast-iron
30-pounder, weighing 601 cwt., and it was con-
verted inter a 100-pounder rifle, weighing, when
altered, about 62 cwt., of which the steel lining tube
weighed 154 cwt., the original calibre of 63- inches
being retained. It was tested at Gavre, and_ sus-
tained 510 rounds with a charge of 91b of powder,
and 661 b. cylindro-concidal shot, then 500 rounds
with 16-3-Ib. of powder, and 100 lb. cylindrical shot.
During the test, which continued over a considerable
time, the bore was constantly gauged, and gutta-
percha impressions taken of it, but at the end of the
1010 rounds not the slightest flaw or enlargement of
the bore could be detected. A great portion of
the firing was at high elevations, varying from '
15 deg. to 20 dog., and on some occasions the
firing was continued with the greatest rapidity pos-
sible, until the gun was so heated that it was almost
dangerous to load it, and it was then suddenly
cooled by deluging it with cold water. A number
of rounds were also fired with a considerable air
space left in the powder chamber, which is well
known to artilleryists to be the most destructive
test a gun can possibly.be subjected to ; in fact,
every effort was made to burst it, but up to this
period without effect, and the gun was then
practically as good as when the firing com-
menced. The charge was then increased to 263-113.
of powder and a shot of 1351 b., in order to test
the gun a l'outrance, and ascertain if with this
excessive charge the breech fastening would ex-
hibit any sign of weakness. Mr. Parsons pointed
out that from the great length of the charge, which
occupied half the length of the bore, the first shock
of the explosion would extend to the chase of the
gun not designed to sustain it, and predicted its
failure at this point. The gun, however, sustained
ten more rounds with this enormous charge, and
burst at the eleventh, exactly in the part predicted,
leaving the breech and reinforce intact. lam
assured that there is no known instance of any gun,
however costly, having sustained so severe a test in
proportion to its weight and calibre, and if the
large guns now being made bear anything like a
proportionate charge, and show a like endurance,
they will be more formidable than anything we
have got to bring against them."