The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-03 00:00:00

TAE ARMY.

The Secretary of War and the authorities at head-quarters
having judged it expedient to establish a more perfect sys-
tem of obtaining qualified armourer sergeants, for service
in regiments, battalions, and corps of the regular army and
regiments of embodied militia, a royal warrant has just
been issued by the Secretary of War by which it is ordered,
that all armourers intended for service in the regular army
and regiments of embodied militia shall be enlisted and
formed into a corps to be callled " The Corps of Armourer
Sergeants," which corps is to be attached to the Royal Small
Arms Factory at Millbank. The men so enlisted are, ac-
cording to the royal warrant, to be governed by various
rules which are particularised in the warrant.
A new species of breech-loading Minis rifle musket, an
American invention, was on Saturday received at Woolwich
for the inspection and approval of the select committee of
the Arsenal. The calibre and weight are similar to the
ordinary muskets at present in use in our service. No de-
rangement of the barrel is required in loading, the cartridge
being applied through the medium of a small piece of
mechanism, resembling a trap, over the lock. The cartridge
bags are of metal, nicely fitting the chamber, and plugged
with India-rubber, the centre of the plug containing the per-
cussion cap, and the charge is guaranteed by the inventor to
be secured from injury when exposed to any moisture, even
under water. On preparing to reload the action of raising
the small cowr at the breech withdraws the empty cart-
ridge case, which is liable to thesame amount of wear as tt s
gun itself. The difficulties experienced in casting iron ord-
nance at Woolwich have satisfactorily diminished; neverthe-
less, it will require many months to complete the undertaking
entered into by the establishment to produce the 250 guns
promised by the 31st of March. Twelve 68-pounder guns
have hsen at length proved, the whole of which turned out
extremely well. From the difficulty of procuring men ac-
customed to casting iron guns very few of the hands are in
any degree acquainted with the work, and, from the severe
discipline of the establishment, the practical knowledge of
those few was seldom available. The work is now likely to
progress at the rate of about five guns per week. Many
bad castings have recently turned out in the brassfoundry.
Several 12-pound howitzers have been discovered, after
boring and turning, to be unfit for service. These were ex-
perimental guns, containing an extra amount of metal
in the casting, requiring au additional cutting of two inches.
Some of these guns were so full of holes that a stroke of a
sledge-hammer would have broken them into fragments.

IMPORTANT SANITARY PROCESS-PRE-
SERVATION OF THE BODY AFTER
DEATH.

at
medicalthe
assemblages pit al o l
SaturdayAnOantomi eAnatomical
Theatre,
and scientific gentlemen, and others interested in the hea theretre, Bartholomew's rth ao:T
sani-
tary condition of the population, for the purpose of re-
ceiving some explanations of a process which has been
v:Teou Hospital,
designated the process Falcony, after the name of the dis-
tinguished chemist, M. Falcony, whose reputation stands
deservedly high on the Continent, in connection with this
department of chemical science. M. Falcony has succeeded
dinecborminpgoianigtiot perfection two processes, one for preventing
of the human body after death, and of arrest-
rnvgatiotinte, orb,etdoyu. se
latmoire familiar expression, for em-
sjug it even after it has set in ; and the other for permanent
attentionpbarelmsei of the general tpo
btlhi
ee forw iiml erm
ot
rbea t
ptahre_
ticularly be directed, inasmuch as, in a sanitary point
of view, nothing can be of more importance than to be
put in possession of the means, at a moderate cost, of pre-
venting the decomposition of a body which it is our custom
in England to retain for a fortnight if possible. There are
some diseases which are the cause of death, where decom-
position sets in so rapidly that the greatest danger often
attends this practice; and, in too many instances, amongst
twhiethpotohreerdceleadsserse,
lcompelled e sleepmtoereue se
even in
of infectioninthesame androom
fever have taken place. Now, this process of M. Falcony
for the prevention of all infectious gases, is simple and
cleanly in its application. It consists of a powder, com-
posed of various chemical constituents, of which sulphate
of zinc is the base; and this being mixed with sawdust is
placed under and over the corpse, leaving the face exposed.
Covered with this dry preparation the body can be kept for
five or six weeks without any apparent change, whilst not
the slightest exhalation escapes. Mr. Farrow was present
on Saturday, and Dr. Holden was obliging enough to favour
the gentlemen present with the results of a test to which
that process had been subjected at Bartholomew's. On the
9th of June, the remains of a human leg and foot which had
been amputated at the hospital were deposited in a box
filled with this preparation. The leg and foot were in an
offensive condition of putrefaction, and in a few days would
have liquified. On Saturday the box was brought into the
theatre and uncovered, when all putrescence had ceased
and the flesh had become indurated, somewhat resembling
India rubber. Dr. Holden further stated that upon its
being put into the preparation, the offensive smell ceased
almost instantaneously. The conclusion, therefore, to be
drawn from this fact is, that if such result can be obtained
by the application of the process to a body in a high state
of putrescence and decomposition, the same application, if
made goon after death, and before decomposition begins,
will be even mere striking and efficacious. The
demonstrations were highly satisfactory. An ex-
amination was afterwards entered into of the process of
embalming, which is performed by the injection of a liquid,
and without the mutilation of the body, but as the explana-
tion of the details of this system would be somewhat too
technical for our columns, we feel that we shall be best per-
forming our duty to the public by inviting the immediate
tant practical discovery.
and earnest attention of the Board of Health to this impor-

ARKS.—At
ThTurßsdAaDyE, thMe L'-yearly
" That this chamber is anxious, in every way in its power,
to discourage the improper use of trade marks, and refers
the subject to the council, with a request that it may
receive immediate consideration, with a view to such steps
being taken as may be deemed advisable."
ONE THOUSAND POUNDS STOLEN. About :11
gentleman was robbed
of four £2OO notes, one of
o'clockxin l this
oo y
on Thursdayfs
ocni
et
ofosonight n
eaodet
eight
tg
o
foreign
s o
vereigas. The money was
in a pocket-book, which was in an inside breast pocket of
the gentleman's coat; and it was stolen by a woman to
whom he spoke in York-street, Mosley-street. A reward
of £lOO has been offered for the recovery of the property.
A second rubbery, of a similar kind, was committed about
half-past 10 o'clock on Thursday night, in New Brown-
street ; the amount in this case being a little more than
£lOO, consisting of two notes of £2O each, six of £lO each,
and some silver. A reward of £2O has been offered.—Man..
chaster Guardian.