The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-11 00:00:00

;ONTRACT FOR FRESH OX BEEF AND VEGE-
TABLES AT FOYNES.
CONTRACT DEPARTMENT, ADMIRALTY.
Somerset House, 27th December, 1866.
HE COMMISSIONERS for EXECUTING
T the OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the
-EXITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRE-
LAND do hereby Give Notice, that on Tuesday, the 15th
411 nary next, at Twelve o'clock at Noon, they will be
ready to treat with such persons as may be willing to con-
tract for supplying all such quantities of
FRESH OX BEEF and VEGETABLES,
for the use of her Majesty's ships and vessels at Foynes as
InnY be demandel from the 15th January to the 30th June,
1867, both days included.
The Contractor is to supply good fat well-fed Ox Beef,
as no Heifer meat will be admitted.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty reserve to
themselves an unlimited power of selection in accepting
the Tenders.
Tenders must be made at rates per 100 lb., and no atten-
tion will be paid to any offers not so made.
The Contractor, in claiming payment for the supplies, is
to make out his invoices in pounds at per 100 lb.
Every Tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and must also be delivered at the department
Comptroller of Victualling, Admiralty, Somerset
gouge, signed by two responsible person; engaging to
o,2._c_flYne bound with the person tendering in the sum of
;;:0 for the due performance of the Contract for Fresh Ox
Tfileand £lOO for the Contract for Vegetables.
Contractor to pay half the amount of the stamps on
the Contracts and Bonds.
By order
ANTONIO BRAD/,
Registrar of Contracts and Public Securities.

TO GUN A. KERS and Others.
The SECRETARYI.
BREECH' PROP of STATE for WAR is desirous of
11-LO
receivinOSALS from (}unmakes and Others for
LOADING RIFLES, either repeating or not
repeating, whicll future manufactumay replace the present Service Rifles in
re.

The following are the
Conditions
military non-repeatin considered essential in
g Rifles:—
Not to exceed 9113. A. WEIGHT.
A.
without bayonet.
11. LENGTH.
To be 51 inches, with short stock, measured from the
hollow of the butt-plate to mouzzle.
• WEIGHT OF AMMUNITION MADE UP.
Must not exceed 61b. 4oz. for sixty rounds as packed for
Service.

dust carry their D. CARTRIDGES.
Ti,©
si own imnition.
.
E. 'SICUIT S.
fore ht must be such as to admit. of a bayonet
fixed according g to the present. system.
P. STOCK.
allow a sling to be used.
Must be such as to caPrry a light metal cleaning rod, and

G. Must not exceed that of RECOIL.
the Enfield Rifle by more than
10 per cent.

Must R. THE ARM AS A WHOLE.
be as little liable to injury bylong-continued firing,
rough usar,e
s and exposure, PS the naval rifles converted to
bireech-loaders on the Snider system. To be as capable,
also, of being used Without accident by imperfectly trained
flnen, and of being manufactured in quantities and of uni-
orta quality.
Must
I. THE AMMUNITION AS A WHOLE.
11Al be as little liable to injury by rough usage, damp,
,11d exposure in all climates, as the Boxer cartridge for
1311ider's converted Enfield rifle—also as little liable to Rad-
, dental explosion as the same cartridge, and as capable of
being manufactured in large quantities, and of uniform
quality.
Optional. IL CALIBRE.

Opti L.
ona THE TWIST AND PORN OP GROOVE.
l.

Optional.

N. THE LOOK.

N. RAPIDITY OF FIRE.
aimin
Capable of firing at least 12 rounds per minute, without
g, the cartridges bein arranged on a table.
0. ACCURACY WHEN Flg RED FROM A FIXED REST.
The arm must give a mean figure of ineric of not more
than 33ia. at 1,000 yards, 30in. at 800 yards, 12in. at 500,
and bin. et 300.
The mean to be taken upon at least five targets of twenty
shots each.

P. TRJEC7ORY.
Not to require at 500_yar Ads an elevation of more than 1
deg. 30 111i11.

Q. FOULING.
The shooting not to deteriorate more than 20 per cent.
at 1,000 yards after firing 250 rounds.
R. PENETRATION.
thThe mean penetration of five shots not to be less than
lat of the present service muzzle-loading Enfield Rifle-
-114, 12 half-inch elm planks, which have been soaked 48
(3,surs in water.
-uistance 30 yards.

- s. LBRCATION.
Wax on bullets is indisUpenslable, but any other lubricant
,"laY be superadded o ftessary by the comPeatitor ied to the cartridge, if thought
ppl

- .
ISrO arms will be received wIII without the usual proof marks.
Specifications and drawings of the methods proposed,
BtaticP; the probable cost per arm, and accompanied by a
finished specimen arm, with 20 rounds of suitable ammu-
-111013, shmild be sent to the "Director of Ordnance, War
l'e,", Pall-mall," on or before the 30th March, 1867.
by the
specifications and specimen arms will be considered
.7he Ordnanc3 Select Committee and its associate mem-
.„:, who will be selected by the Secretary of State for
`''' r, and who will after firing the 20 preliminary rounds,
select and recommend for further trial such of the systems
111, ay appear tothemffi • tlpromising, rejecting all
su men y
. . .
such as may not e considered to offer sufficient merits to
'warrant their being included in the competition, the con-
ditions of which are stated in this advertisement.
for Each accepted competitor will then be required to furnish
to experiment, at Woolwich, six arms in strict conformity
the specimen arm submitted, with 1,000 rounds of am-
Munition per arm, within four months after date of de-
Eachlarl competitor will be required to disclose to the
committee the exact nature of the lubrication be may em-
Pl°37. A sum of £3OO will be paid to each of the accepted
trPstitcra, to cover the expense of the six rifles, and of
e supply of ammunition required.
arra
The Uecretary of State offers a reward of £l,OOO for the
which, on comination of ll qualitie is
by the committee tob be the besta submitted.s, considered
A second reward of £6OO for the arm which, while at-
taini9g a satisfactoegree of excellence in other particu-
lars, Is selected former t
in respect to its breech mechanism.
A third reward of £4OO for the best cartridge. The qua-
ities whic% will be principally taken into consideration in
awarding this nrize will be economy of manufacture, power
of sustaining rough usage, freedom from deterioration in
various climates, and general serviceability.
The shooting qualities of the cartridge must be fair; but
as theytrmide:ay depend upon the rifling of the arm with which
the caro is associated, they will not be so much con-
sider,ed as those above-mentioned.
It is clearly to be understood that under no circumstances
will a competitor be entitled to mere than one prize ; hut
such prize will be irrespective of any reward which may be
given to the inventor of the arm finally adopted into the
service.

I V;
MAGAZINE AND REPEATING ARMS.
Magazine and Repeating Arms for Infantry will be re-.
eived and examined in a manner similar to the Breech-
oading Rifles. They must not be less in length than 48
Aches, including the stock.
The limit of weight for these arms is fixed at 9ilb.
ex-
clusive of the charges in the magazine.
It is indispensable that the arms be made to take a
bayonet.
...The Secretary of State offers a reward of 300 for the best
Magazine or Repeating Arm produced that fulfils the above
Pconditions ; and in the absence of experience does not at
resent define the standard of accuracy or other conditions
to be fulfilled before such an arm can be adopted.
Those Magazine orßepeatingArms, which are accepted
for further trial, will be paid for at the rate of f6O each.
This sum is to include' 1,000 rounds of ammunition per
arm.

The Secrets V.
ry of State will take care tht no inenious
novelty produced in answer to this advertisement g shall be
and
into the service without proper acknowledgment,
rld that the name of the individual with whom it origi-
nates shall be recorded in connection with it.
if the rifle to which the first prize is awarded is adopted
nto the service, it will bear the inventor's name.
J. ST. GEORGE, Major-General, Director
War Office, Oct. 22 lof Ordnance
os