The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-13 00:00:00

EXPERIMENTS IN THE MARSHES

WouLwicu, JULY 12.—Field Marshal the Marquis of
Anglesey, K G , G.C.8,, G.C.H., Masten General of the
Ordnance, Lteutenant-General Sir Howard Douglas,
G.O 8., G.C.M.G., Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander
Woodford, K.C.8., G.C.M.G., formerly Governor of
(Jihralter, Lieutenant•Gereral Sir Thomas Downman,
K.C.H , Commandant of the garrison at Wool-
wich, Major- General Sir Hew D. Ross, K.C.8., Major-
General Lacey, Director-General of Artillery, Colonel
Campbell, Colonel Gordon, Colonel Dundee, C. 8., Colo-
:lel Cruttend n, Lieutenant Colonel Chalmer, Assttant-
Director- Ger eral of Artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel Brere-
em, C.B, K.H., Royal Horse Artillery, Lieutenant-
Colonel Hardinge, Lientenant-Colonel Anderson,
Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer, Lieutenant Colonel Evans,
Lieutenant- Colonel Clarke, Lieut.-Colonel Fern, aux,
Lieutenant-Colonel Se -rey; Lieutenant-Colonel Palliser,
Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, and Lieutenant Colonel
Burn, Brigade-Major Bingham. Captain Marriott. Cap-
sin Lawrence, and a number ot officers of the Royal
Artillery. assembled in the Marshes at two o'clock P.M.,
to-day, to witness experiments by firing at a bulkhead,
ropresenting mat of a ship-ot-war. the erection bring 11
t-et high by 29 feet in length, and 23 inches thick, con-
tructeo of the stronge.t description ot timber, the frame
ce-ing nearly 12 inch, a thick, and the crossplAnks out-
.ide and inside each about six inches thick. The b4ck
was formed of similar strength of materials, and the
entre had seven supports, one foot square each and 11
t-tt above the ground, to bring them to the level of
the front and .0 tk, the whole strongly joined to-
gether with cross-teams, secured by iron bolts,
and giving a at ace of about 45- feet to re
pr to it the breaeth of a ship's deck within the sides
if a vessel. The Master-General, with Lord Clarence
Pare-, Captain Firzhardinge Berkeley, C. 8., one of the
Lot d- of the Admiralty, Captain Sir Thomas Hastings,
Pr ncipal Storekeeper of the Ordnance, and Captain
Chat's. C. 8., of the Excellent, at Portsmouth, proceeded
immediately on their arrival to the vicinity
.ot the bulk-
head, and were sheltered during the firing in a building
constructed for observing the result of experiments in
the Marshes. The guns from which the firing took
place were three eight-inch guns of 65 cwt. each and
nine feet long, mounted on ship gun-carriages, and sta-
tioned on wooden platforms at 200 yards range. The
guns were double •shotted for the first round, and the
shot went through the front of the bulkhead compara-
tively free from splinters, and, on striking the back re-
coiled and fell to the ground, several, during the expe-
merits, going entirely through, and others lodging in the
click. The a coni round was fired with one solid shot and
one live she 11 to ea. k gun, the shot paising through the
front, and the shells nearly in the same direction, the
latter bursting in the centre after passing through with
powerful effect, tearing the front and back and centre
supports into thousands of fragments, and throwing
Large pieces of timber nearly 100 teet into the air. The
third round was tired with only single solid shot, which
vent through the front comparatively free from frag-
ments. The fourth, fifth, arid sixth rounds were fired
with the same charge as the second round, each gun
having one solid shot and one shell. and the destruction
;if the bulkhead may be said to have been complete, the
centre supports and the other massive timbers being
nearly all torn to places, ba I many'of them rent so as to
represent small ropes or leather thongs in the direction
of the fibres of the wood. The plan of firing solid shot
and shell at one time was submitted by Captain Chada.
the charge of powder in each instance was 51b., the usual
service charge.

THE QUEEN ON THE PROSECUTION OF
BEVAN AGAINST lIANSILL AND MILLS,
FOR A CONSPIRACY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

toleration has its limits, and as it is
contrary to precept to prejudice any one awaiing his
nal before an Eighth jury, I do not see that I should
al silence submit to be prejudiced by what may be said
even in a court of justice.
I have the charity to believe that what you have
printed of me in certain reports bearing on this case h
neon from a sense of public duty, and us I fully acquit
you of all malice, I do not hesitate, through your journal
and others, to ask the public to suspend its judgment, so
far as I am concerned, until a jury of Eughshmen shall
have the opportunity of stating what they believe.
Mr. Clarkson. the counsel ut Sarah Mills, is reported
as asserting that "he believed (for his own sake I trust
that he did so) that there was very little doubt his client,
Sarah Mills, had been made the instrument of a more
guilty party."
This line of conduct on the part of counsel having
been on former tarcas.ons heavily censured by the public
press, I shall not further remark on its repetition than
to state, that there 18 no doubt In the public mind that.
I am the " more guilty part)" against whom this
and other assertions have been gratuitously put
forth. My "guilt" consists in my having bee, me toe
proprietor of the Satirist newspaper--a journal which I
was forced to take hold of iu the hope of saving myself
from heavy pecuniary loss, and which, whilst I had it, no-
toriously rose in public estimation, became a family
newspaper, and was conducted, at any rate, with strict in-
tegrity. Not one charge was made, nor one action brought
during my proprietorship; and on Mr. Bevan starting
this charge of conspiracy, I instantly resolved to sell it,
and did sell it at a ruinous loss. So much for my, wicked-
nese I To the credit of the Judge, be it said, that
he appears to have made no use of the insinuations made
against me.
In noticing this one of several assertions prejudicing
me in the public mind, I ask you, as a friend of fair
play, to allow me-Ist. To assert before my country
that I am as innocent as is the child unborn of the
charge made by Mr. Bevan. 2d. To assert that I
challenge any one of my countrymen—holding a simi-
lar station in society—to produce more numerous
and respectable testimonials as to character. lam
ready to meet any challenger or accuser. Having done
this, I leave each individual to bear the responsibiity
of his own actions ; and whilst Ido not fear an English
jury, I have faith in the assurance that justice—un-
questionable justice—awaits hereafter the accuser and
the accused; and which—seeing that Mr. Bevan is an old
man, and I am an .fflicted one—may not be at any great
remove. As an additional reason for troubling you, I
may say that my character, my liberty, and, in all
human probability, my life, are at stake in my struggle
for justice in this case. Under my long illness and heavy
misfortune, I cannot be too thankful that no one of my
numerous friends and acqusintances believes the charge
brought against me.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your
obedient servant,

MARTIN HANSILL.
7, Bennett-street, Stamford-street, London,
July 7, me.