The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-08 00:00:00

CONTRACT FOR FRESH OX BEEF AND VEGE-
TABLES AT FOYNES.
CONTRACT DEPARTMENT, ADMIRALTY.
TSomerset Heuse, ,27th D, 1806.
lIE COMMISSIONERS forecember EXECUTING
the OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the
UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRE-
LAND do hereby Give Notic, that on Tuesday, the 15th
January 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 u,o of her Majesty's ships and vessels at Foynes as
may be demanded from the 15th January to the 30th June,
1867, both (lays 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 1001 b., 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.
The Contractor to reside on the spot, or to have an
agent resident there. If non-resident, the name and ad-
dress of the agent must be inserted in the Tender.
No Tender will be received unless made on the printed
form provided for the purpose, and which may be obtained
on application in the Lobby of the Department of the Con-
troller of Victualling, Admiralty, Somerset House, or to
the Postmaster at Foynes, where also the conditions of
the contract may be seen.
No Tender will be received after Noon on the day of
treaty, and it will not be required that the party tendering,
or an agent on his behalf, should attend at the Office on
the day of Contract, as the result of the offer received from
each person will be communicated to him and his proposed
sureties in writing.
Every Tender must bo addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and must also be delivered at the department
of the Comptroller of Victualling, Admiralty, Somerset
House, signed by two responsible persons, engaging to
become bound with the person tendering in the sum of
£3OO for the duo performance of the Contract for Fresh Ox
Beef, and £lOO for the Contract for Vegetables.
The Contractor to pay half the amount of the stamps on
the Contracts and Bonds.
By order, ANTONIO BRADY,
Registrar of Contracts and Public Securities.

TO U N 11.1 AK. E R7BaTricl Others.
Tho SECRETARY of STATE for WAR is desirous of
rocoivincr, PROPOSALS from Gunmakers and Others for
EREECII-LO A.DING RIFLES, either repeating or not
repeating, which may replace the present Service Rifles in
future manufacture.

I
The following are the conditions
considered essential in
military non-repeating Rifles:—

-A. WIGHT.
Not to exceed 91b. soz. without bayonet.
n. LENGTH.
To ho 51 inches, with short stock, measured from the
hollow of the butt-plate to muzzle.
c. WEIGHT OF AMMUNITION MADE UP.
Must not exceed Glb. 4oz. for sixty rounds as paced for
service.

D. Must carry their own CARTRI
ignitionDGES..

E. SIGHTS.
The foresight must be such as to admit of a bayonet
fixed according to the present system.
F. STOCK.
Must be such as to carry a light metal cloaning•rod, and
allow a sling to be used.

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

H. THE ARM AS A WHOLE.
Must be as little liable to injury by long-continued firing,
rough usage, and exposure, as the naval rifles converted to
breech-loaders on the Snider system. To be as capable,
also, of being used without accident by imperfectly trained
men, and of being manufactured in quantities and of uni-
form quality.
a. THE AMMUNITION AS A WHOLE.
Must be as little liable to injury by rough usage, damp,
and exposure in all climates, as the Boxer cartridge for
Bnirler's converted Enfield rifle—also as little liable to acci-
dental explosion as the same cartridge, and as capable of
being manufactured in large quantities, and of uniform
quality. K. CALIBRE.
Optional.

L. THE TWIST AND FORA.' OF GROOVE.
Optional.

M. THE LOCK.

Optional.

N. RAPIDITY FIRE.
Capable of firing at least 12 roOFunds Crp minute, without
aiming, the cartridges being arranged on a table.
o. ACCURACY WHEN FIRED FROM A FIXED REST.
The arm must, give a mean figure of merit of not more
than 36in. at 1,000 yards, 30in. at 800 yards, 12in. at 500,
and bin. at 300.
The mean to be taken upon at least five targets of twenty
shots each.

r. ORY.
•
Not to require at 500 yards anTRAJECT elevation of more than 1
dog. 30 min.

Q. FOULING.
The shooting not to deteriorate more than 20
at 1,000 yards after firing 250 rounds. per cent.

R. PENETRATION.
Tim moan penetration of five shots not to be less than
that of the present service muzzle-loading Enfield Rifle--
viz., 12 half-inch elm planks, which have been soaked 48
hours in water.
Distance 30 yards.

s. LBRICATN.
Wax ou bullets is indiUsreasable, IO
but any other lubrican
may be superadded or applied to the cartridge, if though
necessary by the competitor.

111.
No arms will be received
without the usual proof marks.
Specifications, and drawings of the methods proposed,
stating the probable cost per arm, and accompanied by a
finished specimen arm, with 20 rounds of suitable ammu-
nition, should he sent to the " Director of Ordnance, War
Office, Pall-mall," on or before the 30th March, 1867.
The specifications and specimen arms will be considered
by the Ordnance Select Committee and its associate mem-
bers, who will be selected by the Secretary of State '
a or
War, and who will, aster firing the 20 lir,-
select and recommend for further trial
such ,m •ina , rounds,
as may appear to them sufficiently pro,--• '-'` the systems
such as may not be considered to -asing, rejecting all
warrant their being included ! offer sufficient merits to
ditiens of which are staf- in the competition, the con-
Each accepted en"- -id in this advertisement,
for experiment -.petit:yr will then be required to furnish
to the spoo. ,at 'Woolwich, six arms in strict conformity
. „eon. arm submitted, with 1,000 rounds of am-
muuitiejd
per arm, within four months after date of de-
lila .1. Each competitor will be required to disclose to the
c.3mmittee the exact nature of the lubrication be may em-
ploy. A sum of £3OO will be paid to each of the accepted
competitors, to cover the expense of the six rifles, and of
the supply of ammunition required.
The Secretary of State offers a reward of £l,OOO for the
arm which,
mittee to be the best on combination of asubqll
mitted.ualities, is considered
by the com
A second reward of £6OO for the arm which, while at-
taining a satisfactory degree of excellence in other particu-
lars, is selected for merit in respect to its breech mechanism.
A third reward of £4OO for the best cartridge. The qua-
ities which will be principally taken into consideration in
awarding this prize 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 they may depend upon the rifling of the arm with which
the cartridge is associated, they will not be so much con-
sidered as those above-mentioned.
It is clearly to be understood that under no circumstances
will a competitor be entitled to
such prize will be irrespective of any reward which may be
more than one prize ; but
given to the inventor of
fiervice, the arm finally adopt©d into the

I V;
MAGAZINE AND REPEATING ARMS.
Mafrazine and Repeating Arms for Infantry will ,„c, re_
eived and examined in a manner similar to +;,o Breech-
loading Rifles. They must not be less in length than 48
riches, including the stock.
The of weight for these arms is fixed at 911 b. ex-
clu,ivo 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
conditions: and in the absence of experience does not at
present define the standard of accuracy or other conditions
to he 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 £6O each.
This sum is to includo-1,000 rounds of ammunition per
arm.

The Secreta V.
ry of State will take care that no inenious novelty produce(' in answer to this advertisement shall be
adopted into the service without proper acknowledgment,
and that the name of the individual with whom it origi-
nates shall bo recorded in connection with it.
if the rifle to which the first prize is awarded is adopted
into the service, it will bear the inventor's name.
J. ST. GEORGE, Major-General, Director
of Ordnance
War Mee, Oct. 22 1866