The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-02 00:00:00

. MR. WARNER'S INVENTION,
(From the Naval and Military Gazette.)
To say that We are not prejudiced against such projects
as that gentle:nen is stated to have discovered, would be
untrue. We admit that, in common with members of the
United Service of the highest rank and ability, we do re-
ceive any such propositions with extreme suspicion, not
as to the honesty, or even the conviction of the schemers,
but because we know, from constant experience, that such
are generally possessed of sanguine minds, and apt to
impute motives to those in authority, because .they will
not admit the value of the projects, oftentimes extremely
clever and ingenious, but not applicable to purposes of war.
It is not many
.years since the steam-gun attracted
considerable attention—a model is even now exhibited,
showing to the whole world the possibility 'of applying
steam to projectiles; and if we recollect rightly, Mr.
Perkins incurred considerable expense in preparing a
large model, which impelled a ball of 121bs. But this was
for various reasons pronounced by competent authorities
inapplicable to war, not only afloat, where steam of such
high pressure would be highly dangerous, but on shore;
and although the principle has been known, admitted,
and publicly exhibited for years there is no intention of
adopting it as a war engine by this or any other nation.
Again, we remember, some six or eight years ago, a
celebrated west-end gun-maker, who boasted that he
could produce a piece of ordnance capable of projecting
a missile for twenty miles or more. His assertion was
treated with ridicule, by those who considered the initial
velocity required in a body that should continue to over-
come the resistance of the air for one-fourth of that
space; yet he went so far as to submit his project to the
Board at Woolwich, and demanded a large sum for the
discovery; being required to explain, he refused, and so
the matter ended, the Board not feeling justified in
recommending Government to entertain a project of
which they could give no opinion, in fact, to " buy a pig
in a poke."
Nuw, to us it appears that Mr. Warner is much in
the same position as our friend the gun-maker ; and that
no responsible Minister or Board will ever be justified or
induced to negotiate with him, until he has established
certain essential preliminaries. First, if there should
prove to be any merit in the invention, and that is made
out to the satisfaction of the Government, to how many,
or to what extent, has the secret been already divulged ?
and what satisfaction can be given that after the invention
is supposed to be secured, it may not appear in some other
shape, and thus induce fresh demands ? Secondly—Sup-
posing that Mr. Warner has discovered some means of
averting or overcoming the objection to the use of ful-
minating substances, and rendered those highly destruc-
tive and sensitive substances subservient to his purpose,
what security can be given that, when the project is
brought into action, other chemists may not effect the
same when it becomes worth while to apply their abili-
tie.; to the task ?
It is true the last objection may be said to depreciate
the value of any invention ; and so it would, did not the
patent laws apply in ordinary cases, from which this is
exempt. But, considering that Mr. Warner and his
friends have (according to the 'Times) expended upwards
of 35,0001. upon this project, and (according to report)
now demand a very large sum for the invention, having
refused (according to Mr. Wakley) 300,0001. from a fo-
reign Government, we think the two objections will
weigh against the purchaser in the mind of any Minister
that may control the finances of this country.
Mr. Warner appears to be unfortunate in appealing to
the testimony of dead men, for the letters published go
for little one way or other, except to prove that the late
Mr. Lukin of the War-office introduced him to the late
Sir Herbert Taylor, by whom he was recommended to his
late Majesty, who directed the late Sir R. Keates to
examine into the affair, who took into his council the
late Sir Thomas Hardy ; and there are copies of letters
published in the pamphlet, to prove that Mr. Warner was
in communication with all these distinguished personages,
but there is no recorded opinion of any one of them as to
the practicability of the project. We think that a letter
or a report under Sir R. Keates's hand, " expressing his
conviction of the efficacy. of Mr. 'Warner's invention" in
1831 or 1832, before the infirmities of age had made wreck
of his mind, would be of more value than the published
extracts of his notes making appointments, and desiring
that the same specimens which had been shown to him
might be brought for his Majesty's inspection, thereby
implying that he had never witnessed. even such a prac-
tical experiment as was lately shown on Mr. Bond's
fish-pond.
Our space warns us that we must close the subject, for
this week at least ; but before we do so we may remark
that Mr. Walesby confirms two reports that are rife with
relation to this affair. The one, that the late talented
Editor of the Times, (Mr. Barnes) became suspicious
that he had been imposed upon ; the other, that a
military officer who witnessed the last experiment is
" incredulous" as to theefficacy of the invention. We
believe, moreover, that the individual alluded to is high
in the confidence of the Duke of Wellington.
We shall have some observations to make in our next
upon that part of the statement which relates to the opera-
tions against Dons Miguel, when it appears Mr. Warner
was directed by his late Majesty to test his invention.
This could harpy be done without the knowledge of Sir
W. Parker, commanding in the Tagus, and Captain Ghts-
cock, in the Douro. These distinguished officers are
alive, and we hope likely to live to perform good service ;
why is it that no appeal is made to them ? It is scarcely
possible that Mr. Warner could have saved Oporto, sup-
plied tLe destitute city with his own gunpowder, and held
himself in readiness to destroy the Miguelite fleet (acting
too by desire of King William the Fourth), without Cap-
tain Glascock, the British officer in command before the
city, being cognizant of his intention.
We beg to assure Mr. Warner that we shall be at all
times most happy to give publicity to such explanations as
his stated case appears to require, and we think he is
wrong in permitting his claim to be made the handle for
political acrimony. Let him moderate his pretensions,
and cease to incur ridicule by such pompous assertions
respecting the destruction of 'fleets and armies, as if the
vessel containing his apparatus were impregnable.

THE WEATHER.—NooN, JULY 2.
ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, ADELAIDE-STREET.
Barometer
Thermometer... 64 I Highest 64 ( Lowest ... 54
Wind N. W.—Freezing Point 32 Deg.

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Cherbourg has just been the scene of a repet,
tion of the story of Hero and Leander, in the persons of a
smart and lively lass, attached to the culinary art, and a Dieppe
sailor, belonging to the Friedland. The day before the in-
tended sailing of the ship, the young tar was brought on board,
and put in irons, for having passed the night on shore without
leave. Not willing to sail without taking a last leave of his
love, he contrived to free himself, and plunged into the sea ;
his reliance on his strength as a swimmer was fatal to him,
and three days afterwards his body was washed on shore. The
poor girl, who was much attached to him, was taken to see the
corpse, and an affecting scene ensued. She then cut off a lock
of his hair, and wrapping it in his last letter to her, kissed his
lips, and was conducted home.
LONGEVITY.—On Sunday last, at Cock-Tail-
treet, Great Whelnetham, at the advanced age of 100.
(wanting only five weeks), died John Andrews, brother-
in-law to the late Mr. Beaks, formerly of Hargrave
Hall, in this county. Although the deceased had at-
tained such a great age, his faculties remained unim-
paired until within a few weeks of his death. • He was
an early riser, and the sun scarcely ever peeped over th-
eastern hills of this country, for the last century, withs
out his observing its earliest rays. He was of short
stature, but of a stout robust constitution. He was no
friend to the doctors, having a great antipathy to medi-
cine, and could scarcely he prevailed upon to see a me-
dical man even in Isis dying illness. On the Coronation
of George the Third, he had the misfortune to get one
of his legs broken, and many years afterwards he met
with a similar misfortune with the other from the kick of
a horse. He was nevertheless of very active habits, of
cheerful disposition, and was considered in the neigh-
lioilitlibod as one of the greatest wonders of the creation.
About three years ago he buried his wife, who was
nearly 90 years of age.—Bury Chronicle.
SIR DAVID WILKIE.—There have been dif-
ferent statements about the age of Sir David Wilkie, in
consequence of the discrepancy on the
between his own state-
ments as to the year of his birth, and his age
academy books when he entered a student. The ques-
tion is best settled by the register of
th e his own parisid
h
church :—Extract.—" Dec. 4, 1786, Rev. Dav
Wilkie and Isabel Litester had a son baptised David,
born the 18th of November, 1786, extracted from the
parish register of Cults, this 23d day of June, 1841, by
J. Simpson, sess. clerk." Thus he had not quite com-
pleted his 55th year when he died, and he bad only en-
tered on his 20th year when he painted the" Politicians."
MALMAISON.—The Quotidicnne gives the fol-
lowing rather interesting account of the Chateau
de Malmaison : " After having formed part of
a fief of the Abbey of St. Denis in the 14th century, l
Ma-
maison was purchased by Christopher Perrot, councillor
of the Parliament of Paris in 1622. A hundred and fifty
years afterwards it became the property of the Count de
Canteleu, who improved the grounds considerably. After
the brilliant campaigns of Italy, Bonapartae, who w
for
as
then anxious for retirement, purchased Mlma
three millions of francs. At this place be planned the cam-
paign of Egypt in 1798, and on his return it was hero
that the affair of the 18th Brumaire was resolved upon.
During the Consulship it was his favourite place of
residence, and his Court there became very brim,
il-
liant. The chateau was not enlarged by h
but it was much embellished, and several hot-houses
were added to the gardens. The first hortensias, now be-
come so general, was raised at Malmaison, and a menagerie
as extensive and rich as that of the Jardin des Plantes, was
formed, as also a bergerie, in which were kept the first
Merino sheep introduced into France. It was at Malrintison
that the most important political measures of the day
were decided upon, and that Talleyrand advised the
arrest and murder of the Duke d'Enghien. When Na-
poleon become Emperor, quitted Malinaison for St.
Cloud, he said to an ambassador, 'I am going to ' take
possession of a vacant Throne. • I ascend it free from the
crimes which are too common to chiefs of dynasties. Let
history be consulted, anti a comparison be made. In
1810, Josephine, repudiated by her husband, went to
Malmaison to hide hertears, and here Napoleon, in 1815,
gives vent to his despair." •
THE CAMBRIDGE BRIBERY CASE. —The
Tory Journals have of late said a great deal on a ehar,,,
of bribery
made against the agent of the Liberals at
Cambridge. On this case the Cambridge Advertiser says :
We do not hesitate a moment in pronouncing the
whole affair, from beginning to end, a premeditated,
foul, and most atrocious conspiracy—a shameful and
most dishonourable scheme trumped up by the Tories
to cast odium on their opponents. Such is the opinion
of every honest and unprejudiced person."
papers mention that a society of
The Brussels
pigeon-fancier,' had a number of birds sent to Vendome, I°o
leagues from Brussels, to be started on Sunday merning' ; the
hour is not mentioned, but it must have been at four ofi ve
o'clock. Three of them arrived at Brussels at half-past ten
the same morning, and Rve others before eleven ; while, by
twelve, a considerable proportion of the whole had reached
home. Some birds were let off at Orleans the same morning,
And the first of them reached Brussels about twelve o'clock.