The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-20 00:00:00

The Foreign lines continued very inactive. South
Austrian and Lombardo-Venetian are 101 ; and
Dutch Rhenish, 111; East Indian have receded to
90t ; Grand Trunk of Canada realise 301; Great
Wostern of Canada 121 Z.

Joint Stock Bank and Miscellaneous Shares re-
mai at former values, with:one or two exceptions.
Oriental Bank improved 55., and Union of Aus-
tralia ss.

~, BRITISH FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
;mak stock
G per Cent. Reduced Annuities 931 f
tlaer Cent. Consols Annuities
pew 2 per Cent. Annuities
111dia &Lock
Ditto 5 per Cent.
Ditto Enfaced Paper, 4 per Cent —
Ditto 4 per Cent
Ditto Sf par Cent.
Ditto Bonds £l,OOO —
Ditto under £l,OOO
Consols
for Account, 6th Sept 92k 3
Exchequer Bills, £l,OOO, lid
Ditto £5OO l4
Ditto Small
FOREIGN FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
Brazilian 5 per Cent
Ditto 4-1 per Cent. 1858
thilian & per Cent —
Ditto 3 per Cent
Russian 6 per Cent. 1822, £ St —
Ditto 41 per Cent. Scrip, 1860
Ditto 8 per Cent., 1859 ..
Sardinian 5 per Cent.

Ditto Account
Spanish 3 per Cent. ..
Ditto New Deferred —
Ditto Account
Spanish Corn. Cert. of Coup. not funded 5/
Turkish 6 per Cent ..
Ditto Account
Ditto New Loan
Ditto Account
G \teed, -r‘r Cent. - 1001

Ditto Guarani ~ 4 per Cent.
Dividends on the above payable in London.
French Rentes, 3 per Cent. Ex. 25f. 67f. 50c.
Dutch Exchange, 12 Guil. 21 per Cent 65;
Ditto Certificates, 4 per Cent.
THREE O'CLOCK.
Consols, Money
Ditto Account, September

THE NOTTINGHAM LACE MAKERS' LOCK-OUT.—
The lock-out in the Mechlin trade still continues. The em-
ployers refuse to give the increase of wages demanded by
the men, and the workmen object to go in unless their de-
rnan is acceded to. Subscriptions are being received for the
Support of the lock-outs from several parts of the kingdom,
and there does not appear any probability of the struggle
being terminated for some time to come.
ARMSTRONG v. MARTELLo.—Although a notice
has appeared in The Sun of the experiments recently made
on a Martello tower at Eastbourne, to test the efficacy of
the larger descriptions of the Armstreng gun for breaching,
so much curiosity prevails on the subject, and the results
attained were so important, that we find room for some fur-
ther particulars. The Martello tower selected as the object
to be fired at was one which the sea was gradually under-
mining, and the gam employed were a 40-pounder of 31
cwt., an 80 pounder of 63 cwt., and a short 100-pounder,
weighing only 53 cwt. The distance was 1,032 yards, and
the projectiles employed were partly solid shot and partly
percussion shells. The tower was built of very strong brick-
work, the thickness of the walls being 7ft. 3in, on the land
side, and 9ft. on the side next the sea. It measured 48ft.
in diameter at the base, and was upwards of 30ft. high.
Like all other Martello towers, it was arranged to carry one
The roof or platform bearing this
massive vault of great strength, sup-
hgneanvycongsuinsteedn b
far o abe tte.
Ported by the walls and by a solid pillar of brickwork oc-
which
has b
PYieengn
ctlhaeimceednftroer olfiathrteeitioowtoewnersTihsethcaht,rom merit
eir c
chief
cular form, they deflect all shot which
hstarsikreetnhdeemreidn
this
curve ; hut the accuracy of rifled guns
advantage of small importance, while the exposed condition
of the gun on the top would rendetietes ennctoirmemlyucseedlebsys
against arms of precision. The experiments
a few rounds of solid shot from the 40-1200 pounoduenrdaenti tthheeoBho:
pounder, and of blind shells from the 1
Ject being to ascertain the penetration of these various
pro-
jectiles. The SO pounder shot was found to pass quite
n
through the wall into the tower, piercing 7ft. --- of brick
Work; the others lodged in the wall at the depth of about
5 feet. Live shells were then fired, and with so much effect
that after 8 or 10 rounds from each gun the interior of th e
tower became exposed to view. The firing was then sus-
Pended to enable his Royal Highness the Commander-in-
Chief, who was present, to examine the breach, and also
to allow of the execution of a photograph. The fire was
resumed in the evening, and continued at intervvals on the
following day. The centre pillar supporting the bomb-
proof roof was speedily knocked away, but the structure
Was so compact that the vault continued to stand, and was
only brought down by a succession of shells exploded in the
brickwork. Nothing could exceed the precision with which
these shells were thrown. The broken section of the vault
Was itself but a small object to hit, but this was done with
each unerring certainty that the very spot selected was al-
most invariably struck. The total number of shot and
shell fired against the tower was 170, of which only a small
Proportion was from the 100-pounder. The ultimate result
was that the rand-side of the tower was completely de-
stroyed, and the interior space filled with the debris of the
vaulted roof. The opposite side was also injured, but the
Mound of fallen materials saved it from destruction. We
may infer from these valuable experiments that no species
( f masonry or brickwork penetrable by percussion shells
will in future be available in fortification. Nor is it con-
ceivable how wooden ships are to withstand the effects o
such projectiles. The 100• pounder gun used on this occa-
sion is probably the most formidable weapon ever yet pro.
ducod. Its shell, which weighs 1007. b., contains Slb. o
powder, aid yet the weight of the gun with which this tre
mendous projectile is discharged is less than that of the or
dinary 32-pounder, the weight of which is 56 Cwt.)

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