The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-14 00:00:00

Contract Department, Admiralty, Somerset
House, 9th Jan. 1867.
rpriE COMMISSIONERS for, EXECUTING-
tt- the OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the
UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRE-
LAND, Do hereby give NOTICE, that on WEDNES-
DAY, the 23d inst., at Twelve o'Clock at Noon, they will
be ready to treat with such Persons as may be willing to
Contract for supplying and delivering into her Majesty's
Victualling Stores at Deptford, all such quantities of
Long-Hair Broom Heads, and Clamps and Blocks for Long
Scrubbing Brushes, as may from time to time be demanded
for the use of the Royal Marines, under a Contract for
twelve calendar months certain, and further until the expi-
ration of three calendar months' warning.
Patterns of the articles may be seen at the Royal Marine-
Office, New-street, Spring-gardens, between the hours of
Eleven and Two o'Clock.
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 Co--
troller of Victualling, Admiralty, Somerset House, where
the conditions of the Contract may be seen.
No Tender will be received after Twelve o'Clock at
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 communi-
cate,l to him and his proposed Sureties in writing.
Every Tender toast be addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and bear in the left-hand corner the words
" Tender for Barrack Stores ;" and must also be delivered
at the Department of the Controller of Victualling, Admi-
ralty, Somerset House, signed by two responsible persons,
engaging to become bound with the Person tendering in
the sum of £3OO for the due performance of the Contract.

By Order,
ANTONIO BRADY,
Registrar of Contracts and Public
Securities.

CONTRACT FOR FRE.3H OX BEEF AND VEGE-
TABLES AT FOYNES.

CONTRACT DEPARTMENT, ADMIRALTY.
Somerset,House, 27th December, 1866.
rpHE COMMISSIONERS for EXECUTING
the OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the
UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRE.
LAND do hereby Give Notice, 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 use of her Majesty's ships and vessels at Foynes as
may 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, iu claiming payment for the supplies, is
h make out his invoices in pounds at per 100 lb.
Every Tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and must also he delivered at the department
of the Comptroller of Victualling, Admiralty, Somerset
.louse, signed by two responsible persons, engaging to
become bound with the person tendering in the sum of
£3OO for the due performance of the Contract for Fresh Ox
3130 f, 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.

0 GUNM AK ER S and Others.

T.
The SECRETARY of STATE for WAR is desirous of
I.ceiving• PROPOSALS from Gunmakers and Others for
L'REECiI-LOADING RIFLES, either repeating or not
lePesting, which may replace the present Service Rifles in
future manufacture.

M.T. tary non-rep
he following
eati are
ng Rifl the conesditions considered essential in
ili:—
A. WEIGHT.
Not to exceed 91b. soz. without bayonet.
B. LENGTH.
o bo 51 inches, with short stock, measured from the
hoTllo wof the butt-plate to muzzle.
o. WEIGHT OF AMMUNITION MADE UP.
Must not exceed 61b. 4oz. for sixty rounds as packed for
service.

D. CA
Must carry their own igRTRIDGES.
rit;on.
P SIGHTS. ito foresight mustE. be snch as to admit of a bayonet
Fled according to the present system.
F. STOCK.
Must be such-as to carry a light metal eleaning.rod, and
allow a sling to be used.

G. .
i RECOIL
rust not exceed that of the Enfield Rifle by more than
10 Per cent.

isc THE AS A HOLE.
Must be as little liable ARM
to injury byloW ng-continued firing,
I.° ugh usage, and exposure, as the naval rifles converted to
breech-loaders on the Snider system. To be as capable,
aloo, of being used without accident by imperfectly trained
L
rorg, illen,
quandli of
being manufactured in quantities and of uni-
aty.
I. THE AMMUNITION AS A WHOLE.
Must be as little liable to injury by rough usage, damp,
and exposure in all climates, pa the Boxer cartridge for
Snider'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 FORM OF GROOVE.
Optional.
Optional. M. THE LOOK.

N. RAPIDITY OF FIRE.
Capable of firing at least 12 rounds per minute, without
aiming, the cartridges being arranged on a table. •
0. ACCURACY WHEN FIRED FROlf A FIXED REST.
The an 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. et 300.
The Mean to be taken upon at least five targets of twenty
shots each.

P. .
Not to require at 500 yards anTRAJEOTORY elevation of
deg. 80 min. more than 1

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

R. PENETRATION.
The mean penetration of five shots not to he 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. LN.
Wax on bullets is indisUpensaßßlCAT IO
ble, but any other lubricant
111_ 37 be supemdded or applied to the cartridge, if thought
necessary, by the competitor.
__

- .
, lge arms will be received without the usual proof marks.
pecifications, 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 be sent to the "Director of Ordnance, War
°lll, e*. Pall-mall," on or before the 30th March, 1867.
1 -rhe and specimen arms will be considered
,ly tho Ordnance Select Committee and its associate mem-
')ll.Bl who will be selected by the Secretary of State for
War. and who will, after firing the 2) preliminary rounds,
Zssoled and recommend for further t. 411 such of the systems
crY appear to them sufficiently promising, rejecting all
v,i, rant
nIRY not be considered to offer sufficient merits to
,„ their being included in the competition, the con-
EachuEf which are stated in this advertisement.
for accepted competitor will then be required to furnish
L experiment at Woolwich, six arms :n strict conformity
to the specimen arm submitted, with 1,000 rounds of am-
mnition per arm, within four months after date of de-
mand Each competitor will be required to disclose to the
committee the exact nature of the lubrication he may ern-
Ploy. A sum of £3OO will be paid to each of the accepted
c‘fampetitore to cover the expense of the six rifles, and of
tee supnly of ammunition required.
The Secretary of State offers a reward of £l,OOO for the
arm which, on confaination of all qualities, is considered
by the committee to be the best submitted.
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; hut
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 more than one prize ; but
such prize will be irrespective of any reward which may he
given to the inventor of the arm finally adopted into
the
service.

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 911 b. 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 Eepeating Ann 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 orßepeating Arms, which are accepted
for further trial, will be paid for at the rate of £6O each.
This sum is to include 1,000 rounds of ammunition per
arm.

V.
The SeCretary of State will take care that noingenious
zzvelty produced 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 be -ecorded in connection with it.
If the rifle to which the first prize is awarded is adopted
zio the service, it will bear the inventor's name.
J. 'ST. GEORGE, Major-General, Diredor
*of Ordnance
War Office, Oct. 22 1866