The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-07 00:00:00

HEAVY AIOR7ARS AT SEA.

The following is a letter dated United States
schooner Norfolk Packet, at sea, March 1:—
Yesterday afternoon we fired our 13-inch mortar
for the first time at sea, The wind was very ligi;t9

the sea quiet, and the day pleasant and sunny. In
order to make the trial sufficiently thorough. Ow
piece was loaded as if for actual bombardment, with

the full charge of 20 pounds of powder and a shell

weighing► over 200 pounds.
The mortar was trained directly a-beam, and re-
ceived an elevation of about forty-five degrees.
The machinery for training the piece is remark-
ably compact, and, although difficult to und,.-r-
-stand, with its eccentric and other novel pieces
of ironmongery, seems to work with ease and
precision. The foresail, foretopsail, and the head
sails of the schooner were lowered away and
hauled over to windward. All the ship's com-
pany, except the powder division, who were be-
low attending to their peculiar duties, stood can
deck, mostly in the rear of the piece. The word to
fire was given, and almost immediately the sunning
report followed. The mortar recoile'a eighteen
inches, and as the shell went humming away all
eyes were turned to see it explode.
The shell was half a minute in its flight, and when
it burst was apparently severeal hundred feet in the
air, and distant by comp.tation more than two
miles. All we saw of tb.e explosion was the sudden
appearance in the sky of a little cloud of smoke
resembling a balloon. Ten seconds after first seeing
the ele-aa we heard the report. It sounded like an
answering gun from one of the ships in the offing-
The little cloud slowly increased in size, and faded
away till its outlines were lost.
Several curious incidents attended the firing. The
facings of the bulwarks between the ports on the
larboard side, that from which the shell was throw!),
were blown off and fell into the water. Several
glass windows were broken in the ward room, and
sashes were violently thrown open. The partition
between the cabin and ward room was started, and
tables were jostled out of place. But these little
mishaps obviously resulted from the concussion of
the air caused by the explosion of so heavy a che'tgat
and were not produced by the recoil of the mrartar.
Persons who were on duty below say that the shock
which the vessel felt was less sever', than that
attending the discharge of one of oi;,•r 32-pounders•

2HE HARTLEY ;LWOW'S AND

ORPHANS.

At. a general meeting of the Hartley Relief Con"
mittee, held at Newcastle-on-Tyne on Friday, the
Mayor of that town in the chair, it was reported
that the amount now received was over £75,000,
and that the gentlemen nominated at the last meet°
ing as trustees had all consented to act, and in Cow
sequence of the instructions also given at the last
meeting the committee had proceeded to inve6t
£60,000 in proper securities. The committee Vr°'
ceeded to fix the scale of allowances, and the folio's'
ing was adopted:—To each widow 7s. a-weelt;
widow and one child, 10s. 6d.; widow and two chit.
dren, 13s. 6d.; widow and three children, 15s. 6(1';
widow and four children, 17s. 6d. ; widow and Pre
children, 19s. 6d. ; widow and six children, 21s. 63.
a-week, the allowance to continue, except in case
otgross misconduct, to widows so long as they re'
main unmarried ; to girls until they reach the age
of 15 years ; to boys until they reach the age of ,
years ; the allowance for infirm adults to rerattifi'
as a general rule, at ss. per week ; special cases t°
be considered. The committee will educate the
dren, and furnish medical attendance to the fan':
lies in addition. At present the families enjoy tbeii
cottages rent free and pay nothing for coals. 13°1
if they have to remove from their cottages a geoeffie
opinion was expressed by several of the committee
that they should have their rents paid them. Then
are the largest allowances ever made from a ftillUit
this character, and to maintain them for 15 years
is estimated £40,000 will require to be sunk, and
further sum of £lO,OOO will be required for tiP'
widows who may be alive at the end of 15 yetlfs,
Mr. T. E. Forster informed the committee that the
e
amount of the sinkers' testimonial fund was abo,
£1,500. Nothing was positively determined vilt_t
regard to the surplus. The subject of a permatte:ei
fund is being taken up by the coal trau t
But, as many of the committee are non
anxious that the large number of orphan cbli;
dren placed under their care by the melancholy
catastrophe shall have a good honest Englis
education, and that they shall have a fair chance or
making their Ray in the world, the surplus, of teas
everything is honestly met, will not be so great
was expected.