The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-16 00:00:00

POLICE---THIS DAY.

MARLBpROUGH-STREET.
SUNDAY PREACHING IN HYDE-PARK.—" RAISING TILE
WlND."—Andrew Balfour Hepburn, described as a public
lecturer from the East end of the town, was charged before
Mr. Tyrwhitt with begging in Hyde-park on Sunday.
Sergeant Charles Fraser, 11 A, said that yesterday after-
noon he saw the prisoner standing on a seat preaching to a
crowd of about 100 persons. He was telling the people an
anecdote about how he " raised the wind" in Scotland
some years back, and after some further remarks,
said he did not think ho should " raise the wind"
there, as the police were about. He then said he had
lost the use of his arm and the sight of one eye, that he
was not able to work and would not, and that he did not
see any harm in the sight of God in taking money for his
labour. He said he did not ask for any money, but he
would take all he could get. The prisoner then held out
his hand and received a shilling and a penny. He then
took the prisoner into custody. _ _ _

Prisoner—You did not see me take a penny, for I did
net get one on my oath in the park. It was a shilling
and a sixpence I received. The penny I received outside
the park gates.
Officer—You got the penny after the shilling.
Another constable confirmed the first witness.
Prisoner—What did you hear me preach about,
Witness —Against Mormonism.

Mr. William Henry Ayling, a gentleman, residing in
Somerset-street, Portman-square, said he gave the shilling,
and perhaps had thus brought the prisoner into trouble.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said the case as nearly approached begging
as possible, but he would discharge him this time, and he
had better be careful for the future.

Prisoner left the court, stating that he should continue
to lecture, and should take all he could get.

WESTMINSTER.

DISGRACEFUL ATTACK UPON AN OLD MAN.—Thomas
Dundan, a powerful rough-looking fellow, was charged
with the following disgraceful outrage :
George Hindes, of 7, Chaynes-road, Chelsea, a cab pro-
prietor, apparently nearly 70 years of age, said--On Thurs-
day morning week I was at Chelsea, near Duke-street. It
was about six in the morning, and I was leading a horse
to the farrier's to be shod. Suddenly a party of men came
upon me, knocked the horse about, abused me, and struck
me Violently.

Mr. Arnold—How many were there of them ?
Complainant—About ten.

Mr. Arnold—Did you see where they came from ?
Complainant—They came from the direetion of Cremorne-
gardens, and the first thing they did was to interfere with
the horse I was leading. Defendant and another man
both stopped ma and wanted to take the horse away from
me, which I would not permit. Defendant then tried to
get on the horse's back, and not succeeding in doing that,
he began punching the horse violently in the stomach. I
told him he ought not to do that, when he struck me a vio-
lent blow in the eye. I pointed the defendant out to a
policeman,but he said he could not take him,as he had not
seen him strike me.
Mr. Arnold—Did you exhibit marks of the blow you had
received?
Complainant—Yes ; and in a few minutes afterwards my
eye was entirely closed.
Mr. Arnold--Did you get the defendant's name ?
Complainant—No; he went away. He has since been
apprehended by description.
II Mr. Arnold—This was the very case in which the police
ought, upon sight of recent injury, to have taken into cus-
tody.
A witness proved seeing the assault.
Mr. Arnold—Was the defendant sober ?
Complainant—Perfectly.
Defendant—Others pushed me on to him.
Mr. Arnold—Have you any witnesses?
Defendant said he had not.

He was remanded till Wednesday, to give him an oppor.
tunity of calling any witness he can.

SHIPPING--THIS DAY.

LONDON, June 16.—Wind this day at noon—North-
Westerly; moderate breeze, and dull weather, with slight
showers of rain.

PORTSMOUTH, June 15.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Druid,
from Havannah for Cowes; Heiress, from London for New
York; Anglo-Indian, from Sunderland for Hong Kong;
her Majesty's ship Rhadamanthus, from Plymouth.
Sailed—Her Majesty's ship Alecto, for Plymouth.
Cowes, June 14.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Daniel, from
Havannah.
PLYMOUTH, June 15.—Wind W.—Arrived—Betty,
from Liverpool for Havannah, with foremast sprung;
Edith, screw steamer, from Trieste, leaky, and with part
of cargo thrown overboard. Sailed—Her Majesty's ships,
Revenge, Emeralds, Emerald, and Chanticleer, for Queens-
town.
NEWPORT, June 16.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Welling-
ton, from Garrucha.
FALMOUTH, June 15. SoWind N.Vir.—Arriv"l, from —ller:-
Ha-
gan von Brabant, from Matansas; uthport
vannah. Arrived—lowa, from
CLYI:T, June 14.—Wind W.—

Montreal.
LimEnicx, June 14.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Mame,
luke, from Now York.
----;---

lOREIGN NAIL PACKET LIST.

MAILS DUE.
Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton .. June 18.
—.
via Marseilles ... June 12.
•
p• • ....... July 4.
Ascension, ad, St. Helena . July 2
drazil and Cava Verds, by British packet........
singapore, v outhampto.n.June 18..
Cape of Good llopeci
via Marseilles ...June 12.
China, PenanF• and
Falkland 151and5........
Gibraltar, via Southampton Juno
June 10. Juno 10.
Ceylon, on . s
India (Calcutta), and
via Marseilles Juno 12.
India (Bombay), 1;.3 Southampton
via Marseilles
-- June 20.
Lisbon June 11.
Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton
Malta, June 10.
via Marseilles July 5.
Newfoundland
Oporto and Vigo
• • .
U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... June 19.
by U.S. packet....
by Canadian packet. J tine 11.
W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe June 10.
Bahamas, via New York July 3.
Mexico..
All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru,
California, and Britiah Columbia,,.... a
..., , June 13.

THE NEW GUN IN THE EXHIBITION.

The new gun, shown in the Naval and Military

Court by Sir William Armstrong, is a rifled breech-

loading 70-pounder, but one in which the chamber

ventpiece and screw are entirely dispensed with.

There is no doubt liv hatever but that the ventpiece

and the movement necessary to place and close it
are the least perfect parts of Sir William's inven-
tion as applied to very heavy breech-loading ord-
nance. In this gun it is superseded by a mechanism
so simple that it may almost be termed self-acting,
and so massive that it cannot be injured by shot,
and, above all, so evenly balanced and sliding on
such true surfaces that a child's strength would suf-
fice to open and close the breech. The gun is built
up of wrought-iron coils and rifled in the usual
manner, but in the breech on both sides two narrow
openings are cut, into which are fitted two wedge-
shaped masses of iron with handles. These, when
drawn aside, have openings in them corresponding
to the bore of the gun, which can then be sec,
through from end to end, a hollow rifled tube. The
shot and powder are then inserted in the ordinary
way at the breech, and the foremost of the sliding
iron wedges we have mentioned drawn across so es
to close the tube. The second and more massive
wedge is then drawn into its position so as to jamb
both tight, and the gun is ready for firing. By a
simple but most ingenious mechanical contrivance
connected with the lock of the gun, which
slides
down a powerful steel bolt that keys the two
wedges together, the piece cannot be fired till
both wedges are in their places, nor can they be

withdrawn until this again is lifted.
It is difficult to convey to the general reader a clear
idea of this beautiful piece of mechanism, and we fear

our attempt to describe it has only made it seem a
rather complex process to load the gun, when, in
fact, only five`orais movements of the hand are re-
quired to load a 100 or 150-pounder. A gun of this
construction has been severely tested, yet not the

slightest escape of gas, or rather fire, has ever oc-
curred, and, while the breech is almost hermetically
closed, a sufficient play is allowed for the wedges to
permit of their expansion from the heat of rapid
firing, This is, in our opinion, the finest breech-
loading piece of ordnance that Sir William Arm-
strong has yet invented. It has all the advantages
as to range and strength of material of its previous
inventions. It is cheaper because simpler in its
method of construction, and can be fired much

more rapidly, as it dispenses with the hitherto
awkward necessity of lifting in and out the breech-
piece, which was, in fact, the only drawback on the
use of his very heavy guns for sea service. This gun
will, we think, before long supersede the first in-
vention as applied to the heaviest artillery, though
the value of what we may now almost call the
old method remains as great as ever for light ord-
nance. To lift in and out the breech-piece of al2
or 18-pounder is a trifling matter, but the duty re-
quires two men at the massive plug of a 100-poun-
der, a calibre which promises to become a compara-
tively light gun at the rate Sir' William has been
advancing lately. Near this gun are shown sec-
tions of shells of all sizes, both time and percussion.

The time•shell is adjusted by distance—that is,
the fuse is cut short to burst the charge so many
seconds after it leaves the gun, every second
representing a space of 400 yards traversed.
Thus, -after one or two sbots for "range,"
shell can be burst to a nicety of 50 feet. The per-

cussion shell, as its name implies, explodes instan-
taneously on touching any obstacles after it leaves
the gun. To effect this two concussions are neces-
sary. The first one, of immense force, takes place
at the discharge of the piece, which breaks a strong
brass pin in the base of the shell, and leaves it free
to traverse up a hollow little tube to the top of the
sone. The pin, while the shot is in full flight, re-
mains at the back, or bottorryof the shell, but on the
slightest check occurring to the flight of the projec-
tile it is driven to the top, and touches detonating
powder so exquisitely sensitive that it lights and ex-
plodes the powder in the missile instantaneously. So
carefilly are the pm is adjusted That nothing but the
tremendous force of the discharge in the gun will

break the pin in the first instance; and, after that,
touching a bag of shavings or a sheet of canvass
will suffice to ignite the shell. The bursting charge
of powder is very small—only sufficient to part the
segments of cast iron of which it is built up inside.
These are spread abroad like a fan by the rotatory
motion of the shot, while they retain all the power
of its onward velocity.

The experiments tried with these shells against
canvass partitions of the size and height
of companies of infantry have shown in
theory that their destructive effects were terrible,
and the practice gained by the experience of
the Chinese war proved that they were infinitely
more destructive to an enemy than they were
even supposed to be. The percussion shell is
now almost an old idea, but if Sir William Arm-
strong had done nothing more than apply his scien-
tific principles to the construction and method of
bursting shells he would have earned all the praise
he has obtained in this country. His segment per-
cussion-shell is the most destructive missile that
the science of modern war has yet brought to per-
fection. The visitor can judge at a glance of their
tremendous power, for close by the shells is exhi-
bited a kind of large iron beehive, in which one of
the small shells was exploded. There is scarcely a
superficial inch of this in which one or more pieces
of iron and lead are not sticking.
Near this are the guns of Armstrong's great rival
—Mr. Whitworth. The large 70-pounder, which
sent its flat-headed shot clean through the iron sides
of the Trusty (the only gun that ever accomplished
such a feat till Sir William recently brought forth
his 120-pounder at Shoeburyness), is not here, being
required by the Government for a series of imiaor-
taut experiments. The Whitworth gun is still that
which has attained the longest range and greatest
accuracy, and is still the only piece that has 'sent
as light a shot as 701 b. through 4$ inches of solid
iron plate. The Blakeley gun, also in this Court,
is a very good piece of rifled muzzle-loading ord-
inance, very similar in principle to the "eanon
d
which rays" of the French. Even, however, asp a
muzzle-loader it is inferior to Whitworth s, rifle
has the advantage of being a breech-loader as well.
A large wrought-ircn g un is exhibited from the
Mersey works, which, as a perfect triumph of
forging, should have been shown side by side with
the double-throw crank of the same firm in the
Eastern Annexe. In the Military Court it scarcely
deserves much notice as a weapon, amid the claims
of its more important rivals. The shells of the
monster mortar—shells which, when d, weighloade
as much as 25 cwt., are another instance of extra-
vagant invension of which this Court offers as many
samples as any other in the building. Every kind
of breech-loading small arm is, of course, to be found
here, and since our remarks Upon the absurdity of
keeping the cases locked an
attendant has been
weapons
appointedespon s t
ot
toh
eo pi
ne ns p
etcht
ei
on in
ofa' tdh os sueb l'nitter.
et
shtee
dvarious
result of the comparative
examination that is thus
daily made has become almost conclusive as to the
superiority of the American
invention of Mr. Storm
over others. In this piece there is nothing special
in either the lock, or stock, or barrel, the only
invention, in • fact, being the breech-loading ap-
paratus, which is applicable to any and every
barrel, at a cost, it is stated, as low as some
16s. each. The breech, about an inch or an inch
and a half in length, is fitted to the barrel by an
ordinary hinge, which is thrown up or open by
a movement of the finger or thumb, the charge
inserted, and the breech closed. In fact, so per-
featly simple is the whole operation that one
of the chief objections to its adoption in our ser-
vice is that the men could load and fire so quick-
ly that they would shoot away all their ammu-
nition before coming into action. There is much
force in this objection as applied to the training of
the men, though we can hardly see how it can affect
the character of a weapon so easily used. The Fede-
ral Government have ordered a large number of
these rifles for the use of their troops, and the effect
with which they have been used against the Con-
federates is already spoken of. A breech-loading
rifle is the great military desideratum now; so much
so, that the Prussian army is entirely armed with
r ones, it true,
weapons of this class—very inferio is
but infinitely better than any muzzle-loader. Last
year some wonderful shooti g D was made at the

:fliftarmil.....••••••••■•••••••••••••
Wimbledon meeting with breech-loaders of Mr,
Storm's patent adapted td the Enfield and Whit-
worth rifles. Since then it has been tried by some
of the highest professional authorities on musketry,
and has been pronounced perfect. Its great advz.m-
tages may be summed up in the few words that it
requires no special ammunition, is tulaptable at the
low cost we have mentioned to any rifle, which can
then be loaded at either breech or muzzle, it is so
simple in its mechanism that it can be fired easily
from twelve to fifteen times a minute, and as rapidly
in the dark as in the daylight.

SPORTING---THIS DAY.

LATEST CITY BETTING, THIS DAY.

ASCOT STARES.
7to 1 agst Knutsford (taken)
sto 1 agst Schism (taken)
10 to I agst St. Lawreiwo (taken)
10 to 1 agst Highflyer (taken)
12 to 1 agst Fitz-Eva (taken)

BETTING AT MANCHESTER.---SATItitnAT.
For the Ascot Gold Cup, 6 to 4 was' offered against
Asteroid ; 7to 4 would have been readily token. On tiie
Ascot Stakes there was not a great amount of ~peculation.
We eid not see less than 8 to 1 booked about.schistn. but
she appeared in greater force than Plaything elso for this
event. For the Royal Hunt Cap Lady Ripon waC, made
favourite, and the ztf,at in request were Croagh
and Q.E.D. Closing prices : trick

ASCOT e'.TAKES.
6to 1 agst Canary (offe).-ed)
6to 1 agst Rapparee (taken and offered)
Bto Igst Schism (taken)
12 to 1 agst Fits-Eva (taken)
12 to 1 agst Conundrum (taken)
12 to 1 agst Boabdil (taken)
ROYAL gUIiT car.
12 to 1 agst Lady Ripon (taken)
16 to 1 agst Croagh PatrlA (taken)
16 to 1 agst Q.E.D. (taken)
16 to 1 agst Silkstone (offered)
20 to 1 agst Queei2 of Spain (taketil
25 to 1 agst Canary (t.!klien)
25 to 1 agst Tresham (taken)
25 to 1 agst Lopeatcher (takon)
25 to 1 agst Queen of the Tale Coffered)
25 to 1 agst Atherstone (offered)
40 to 1 agst High Treason (taken)
40 to 1 agst Bosh (taken)
ASCOT CCP:
6to 4 agst Asteroid (offered)
4to 1 agst Carbineer (taken)
sto 1 agst Zetland (taken)
NORTIZUMBERLA.ND PLATY,.
sto 1 agst Brighton (offered)
10 to 1 agst Matador (taken)
12 to 1 agst Knutsford oaken)
16 to 1 agst Bernice (taken)
25 to 1 agst Ivanhoff (wanted)

LATER MANCHESTER MERNNG.
ASCOT STAKES.
13 to 2 agst Schism (taken and offered)
7to 1 agst Rapparee (taken)
10 to 1 agst Canary (offered)

POISONED CHE,

In a former impression we gave an tzecount of the poison-
ing of between forty and fifty men belonerg- to the Burley
(West Riding) Volunteer Corps, who parOok of.
s
e
cheese at one of the inns at Skipton, on Tuesday last.
regret to learn that several men belonging to the 25.
Riding Riding Volunteers, who were at Skipton on the 6=16 ail,
have since been seized with illness—although in no case iS
a fatal result apprehended. This a matter of considerable
public importance; and, although the cheese partaken of at
Skipton was an American one, it may be useful to place
before our readers the following report of Ptofessor
Voelcker, of the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester,
who was requested a short time ago to analyse a portion of
a cheese from the dairy of a Cheshire farmer, L
amed

Ratter :
" This cheese presented nothing ins rPearanes which
may be regarded as an indication of a spoiled condition .
and unwholesome quality. The taste, it is true, is sharp
and peculiar, and quite different from the rich and pungen!.-
taste of well-ripened old cheese, but the taste alone is not
sufficiently marked to serve as a guide for recognising its
unquestionably poisonous properties. Having analysed at
different times cheese which produced bad effects when
taken in any quantity, I cautioned my assistants not to takes
too much of it, inviting them to taste the cheese sent by Mr.
White, with a view of ascertaining whether or not they
could recognise certain chemicals which are sometimes put
into cheese for the purpose of preventing it to heave, and
which can, to a certain extent, he recogniseJ by the peculiar
taste which they impart to the cheese. I myigelf tasted the
cheese, and although 1 took a little piece of the sizo of a hazel
nut, I felt the effects of the cheese for hours afto.c having
tasted it. Both my assistants, who had taken not more than
at the most a quarter of an ounce each, five hours afterwards
were violent seized with vomiting and pain in the boWels.
One of them was ill all night, and scarcely able to fol-
low as usual his work next day. Both complained
of a peculiar nasty mercurial state, which seemed to
remain with them for many hours after they had
been taken ill, and both turned deadly pale five hours after
partaking of the cheese. On a former occasion I found in
a cheese which caused sickness sulphate of zinc or white
vitriol ; and in another instance I detected in cheese sul-
phate of copper. My attention therefore naturally wag
directed to the search for metallic poisons but though care-.
fully operating on as large quantities of the cheese as a
quarter of a pound I failed to detect in it oven traces of
zinc, copper, mercury, antimony, arsenic or any of the me-
tallic poisons which might have possibly imparted inju-
rious properties to the cheese. Having failed to detect anY
mineral poison, I next directed my attention to the exami-
nation of the organic constituents of this elmese.. The
quantitative general analysis gavo_the following zit
Water 37.88
Organic constituents .. 68'01
Mineral constituents 4•08

100.00

Containing common salt .. 1.33
....„.
considering it must have been cut for some time
,n The proportion of water in this cheese is rather larbs'
ing lost water by evaporation. On further examining it, I
in detect-
found it remarkably sour, and had no difficult,'
ing in it an unusally large quantity a fatty acids, which
acids, if not poisonous themselves are the vehicle which
conveys the peculiar organic poison will:1h it appears is
d e nt ic afl r
om with
coagulated
s o
and hay-,
generated sometimes in cheese in undergoing A peculiar
kind of fermentation. Probably the poison generated in,
this modified decay
' called sausage poison which is sometimes found in German.
sausages, especiallyofthØohseee 8e
madeis chieflyi
blood. A. similar poison appears to be generated some.
times in pickled salmon, smoked sprats, tainted
pork,
veal, bacon, and hams. Bacon and hams, when not per.
featly cured, and fat meat kept in a damp badly ventilated
cellar, are very apt to become more or less injurious to
health; and even butter, after it has turned rancid, and
similar organic acids are liberated in it, which exist in the
cheese which I examined for you in a free state, acts as
a poison in most cases. Singular enough, some people—but
it is quite the exception—are not affected by these subtle
organic poisons. The poison of cheese was .
in Ger-
many so long
known
ago as 1820, and probably even earlier, and.
a great deal has been written on the subject; but we are
yet as far as ever from knowing with great precision the
properties or composition of this virulent poison, which pro..
bably has never as yet been completelyisolated. This, how-
ever, we knoit; that it is a poison which is developed when
the curd of milk is kept too long exposed to the air before
it is salted, or is kept in damp, badly-ventilated places, aud.
too much whey is !aft in it. In fact, all the circumstanceB
which tend to produce an acid curd, and to generate free
fatty acids, are likewise apt to produce this peculiar poison.
In old cheese it is true, we have similar fatty acids, but
they are then united with ammonia, and in this combina-
tion harmless. What is more strange, poisonous cheese of
the character possessed by that which 1 examined for yens
on keeping until it becomes quite decayed, loses its poison-
ous properties and becomes wholesome. "
* ' It hal
been noticed that this peculiar organic poison is particularil
apt to be generated when curd, before being salted, ie-16:°
If
for some time in a heap until it begins to ferment.
cheese made of such curd ripens more readily than When
de-
made in the ordinary way, but at a certain stage of its .
cay, it is a dowmight poison which acts far snore onerf_'`
cally than sulphate of zinc, or even sulphate of mapper
WOO: three
constituents which I have found in cheese no
instances. It is to be regretted that we have no ready meanS
of detesting this insidious poison. An indication, howe a
chevese
er,
I may observe, that something or othe a wrong in
poisonous
is to be found in the strong acid reaction which
by litmus paper. A.
cheese always exhibits, when tested
slight acid reaction marks all fresh cheese, but whilst the
outside of good old cheese is ammoniacal, I find the outside
of cheese in which this peculiar cheese poison occurs is
acid. Further invuatigations aro needed before we can
speak with certainty of the composition Of this virteent
poison." 55.,..._.....2.21............•••••■•...!....____

and. rowingi appointments for this
..._ ,
Yauchetrisneygßowing Club on Monday, London Row.
The
old-fashioned fours ") on Wednesday, Oxford
week are—
at Club on Thursday, Ranelagh Yacht Club
atc(;h on Friday, and Royal London Yacht Club
University o
B:finairgisgcliu-asmb s yachts) on Saturday.
In committee on fortifications and works on the
23d, Sir G. Lewis 'will move the following resolution :
~ That, towards proNiding a further sum for defraying the
expenses of the construction of works for the defenCe of the
royal dockyards and arsenals and the ports of Dover andm
Portland, and for the creation of a central arsenal,
not exceeding £1,200,000 be charged upon the consolidated
fund of the United Kingdom, and that the_ commissionerspowered t•
of her Majesty's Treasury be authorisede arid empowered
rm not exceeding
raise the said sum by annuities for
land be payable out of the said consolidated
thirty years; and that such.annui annuities t
shall be charged upon,