The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-03 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILIIARY IN7ELLIGEIVCB.

An experiment was made yesterday at the proot-
butt, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, under the direc-
tion and in presence of Major-General J. 11. Le-
fray, Royal Artillery, F.R.S , Director-Genera of
Ordnance, for the trial of one of 20 carriages and
platforms now in course of construction in the
Royal Carriage Department, Royal Arsenal,
wich, on Captain Moncrieff's system, for issue to
the Royal Artillery for land and coast defences'
Among those present were Major-General Sir David
E. Wood, K.C.8., R.A., Commandant of Wool" •
wick garrison ; Colonel T. W. Milward, C• 13"
A.D.C. to the Queen, Deputy Director of Ord-
nance ; Colonel Phillpotts, Royal Horse Artillery
Colonel F. A. Campbell, R.A., Superintendent of
Royal Gun Factories, Royal Arsenal, 'Woolwich
Colonel C. S. henry, C. 8., B Brigade Royal
Horse Artillery ; Colonel W. Maxwell, R.A9
Public Works Department, Bengal; Colonel
G. F. Field, R.A. Second Commandant,
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich ;
Colonel
E. Wray, C. 8., R.A. ; Colonel Milman, 11. A;;
Col. 11. Heyman, R.A. ; Captain F. Close, It.
Assistant.-Superintendent, Royal Carriage De-
e'
partment, Royal Arsenal ; Capt. W. C. Nahg
R.A., A.D.C. to the Commandant of the garrison !
Capt. C. M. Molony, Assist.-Superintendent Royal
Gun Factories, Royal Arsenal ; Capt. C. .13. 1-4°
Mesurier, R.A., Captain Instructor, Royal ca,r:
riage Department, Royal Arsenal ; Captain C. 1.
Martin, LE., Royal Military AcadetnY, Wo°
with ; Capt. I'. A. J. Harrison, R.A.,
of Director-General of Ordnance ; Captain F.
Pratt, R.E., Royal Military Aca lemy, Woolwich ;
Capt. W. H. Noble, R.A. ; Lieut. Boxer, 11-N'
Lieut. Lang, •- R.N. ; Quartermaster Behennaat
R.A., and many other naval, military, and foreig
Departni7.l,
officers. In the construction of these carriages
and platforms several alterations and improve-
ments have been embodied, which had been sage
gested to the inventor from his experience of t
working of the first carriage and platform wade °its
his plan, which is now at Shoeburyness, the aucees.
of which led to the adoption of the Moncrieff sl
tern in the British service. The very satisfactor.fe
and gratifying result of yesterday's trial of
sample carriage and platform has fully realised thts
value of the several alterations and improverneill„vi
effected by the inventor. The following area "„
particulars of the carriage and platfortn :
7-inch rifled muzzle-loading gun ; weight of glib;
7 tons. Weight of elevator and counterpoise weigt
14 tons 7 cwt. ; weight of carriage, 1 ton 8 °le
weight of platform, 5 tons 2 cwt. ; total weight'
—Naturi7
tons 17 cwt. The height of the axis of the g.od
in loading position is lift. 2in., and the &
o:
position (using 221 b. charges) 6ft. Bin. At red,
experiment yesterday five rounds were
fi
lb
1151 b. shot in the solid cylinder form, and
battering charges, except the first round, which ware
an exceptional charge of 181 b. The recoils 13r.,,,
perfect, the Brun gracefully returning to its lcacll7
position after each discharge. Three bolts we
the all'.
fractured which connected the rear end of
ing rail or guide to the right side of the platfaay
This was simply a fault of material, and in 1:1° Iv
it
affected the working qualities of the platfornui
would not have occurred had washers been l;ed.
at.,
'There was no pivot or racers on the ground Ply
form, the trucks supporting the whole mash si,ts,
resting on four small smooth pieces of iron I° rh
but not the slightest movement occurred, althentt
no means were adopted to prevent movement to
rear on firing.
rtillerl;
Two batteries of the 7th Brigade Royal Ato
now stationed at Sheerness, are under orders
leave that station for head-quarters, Woolwich• c-
Mr.
Mr. Edward J. Reed, C.B. the Chief Consul-Ira
tor of the Navy, made an official visit to Chathaess
Dockyard yesterday. Mr. Reed transacted blishl..
with Captain W. C. Chamberlain, the CaPtall 0
to
Superintendent, at his office, and then proceedeuct,
inspect the two iron armour plated ships Coosa et
ing in Nos. 2 and 3 docks, and the colonial turret
• I\ 0.
ship, preparing for the voyage to Australia, in it
4 dock. The ships thus inspected were the Stilta,
12, iron screw ship, broadside, in No. 2 dock, whico
is in a forward state; the Glatton, 2, double serireeso
turret ship, in No. a aocx, wawa is by no ineh--,a
far advanced as the Sultan, though cominene-eo
only a few days later; and the Cerberus, 4, 3 ttlfri,
ship, built at the cost of the Government of Viht°rh;
v for the defence of Melbourne. The inspeetl°°...ja
Mr. Reed appears to have been preparatory ter
visit of the Lords of the Admiralty, which is

pected to be made to-day. s°
Orders have been received at Chatham Gnrri
for various detachments from depots there toe
bark for India to join the service conipani,eisi be
India, on the 30th of this month. They
conveyed from Portsmouth in the Croecinalese
Indian troop-ship, Capt. Geo. W. Watson. the
reinforcements are for the 2d Battalionthe lst
Ist Regiment, the Ist Battalion of the 3cil the
Battalion of the Bth, the 38th, the 45th, an
109th Regiments. Stag'
Her Majesty's paddle sloop Salamander' Porte'
Commander G. B. F. Swain, sailed froca
mouth yesterday at two p.m. for Gibraltar,
sod
Admiralty despatches, supernumerary sealneef the
marines, parcels, letters, &c. for the shiPe
Channel squadron under the, command of Admirals
Sir T. S. Symonds and H. Chads. oosite'
The Teazer, 4 guns, double screw, e,ertil3lonv
built gun-vessel, Commander Richard )3. proesol
field, arrived at Spithead yesterday from Sl'e— r to
and afterwards went into Portsmouth hahf.ung of
repair certain defects said to exist in the wc"l-i0 it
the crank-pins of her engine shafting. 11e ;bead
that nearly every vessel which arrives at ~
se rocs .
from an eastern port for a term seri-
of foreign
discovered by her engineer officers to bale have
()bus defects in her machinery, after the hitterearri
een passed as thoroughly efficient and fit tete yet
the ship out to her station ? Either we 13% °fa'
too
many dockyards, or we have incon3Petejlocers
cers in charge of them. The Teazer has the
forte"
and crew on board transferred from the tin
nate Thistle. naerdaf
The following appointments were made philli-
at the Admiralty :—Commodore August°
vice glt
more, from Jamaica, to the 'Wizard, for ser" ok of
Gibraltar, vice Prevost, promoted to the rilto the
Rear-Admiral ; Captain R. W. CourtensY, 0.00
Aboukir, and to be Commodore of the secont'
at Jamaica, vice Phillimore.

-____
'COURSE OF EXCHANGE'

Amsterdam
Do Short ... 11 18 ". 12 11
3Ms ... 12 1 "• 12 40/
Rotterdam — ... 12 1 '" 25 0
Antwerp
••• 25 35 *** 2 'id.
Brussels —.255 ". i 3 22¢Hamburg la
371
Paris
Ditto
8 Ms. ... 25 0
Marseilles
Frankfort-on-the-Main 120/ ••• 12 ~-,1
-- •••
Viennal2 65 "• 12 ' v
•••
Trieste — .. 12 65 "' 29.4
Petersburg
Copenhagen., .........
Berlin — --
-.'. 6 271 •• 481
Madrid..
Cadiz -- •.• 481 •••
••• 42 ••• 2649595
Leghorn
Milan 26 85 *" 26 "-
Genoa - •••
...
...
... 22:66
888,55:,
...
.:
.:
222666 ,
);.
N aples
Palermo
Messina
Lisbon - 51" .-" 52

•••ill
till

Oporto
•••
Rio Janeiro — ••
New York ........

•••••

•
BIRTHS. .4e136-5(11
akititElt—On the Ist ins t , at 60, Kensingten-g93.
the wife of Joseph Barber, Esq., of a daughter' v
13 ae
r
RontE—On the 30th ult• , at Brodie, the La(iY
Brodie, of a daughter.

F Amax__ MARRIAGES. ch r,ll'
1)
Webb,a rri s e
Er
WEBB—On the 3d inst , at Trinity '-',„-lurrert
ldarylebone, William, second son. of the late Gr. ' `-of VT'
"At:, 1
oa r .Batnth.Elizaboth Wallace, daughter -
, ~ Mire
SWEF P .T—.. AXON—On the Ist inst., at Dorkinp!,, .u.v..°
tSweet, of Upton, Essex, to Augusta Mary, eldest cht ,
or of G. K. Faxon, Esq., of Dorking.
DEATBS. nib 039°
CURTIS—On the 30th ult., at Leytonstone-road, ..---c)
Curtis, aged 65. 0.
SMITH On the Ist inst., at Wadhurst Castle, Sussex'
.....

W. Smyth, sq., aged 67
nSo WS,
London: Printed and Published by WIL LIAII AN,
ionf No. 112, Strand, Pri, at THE SuN °lnce No. 0e5...."
the Precinct of then Savoy, itt the County of Aidcve
Friday, December 3, 1869.