The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-31 00:00:00

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man, not only in this country,t ' '
_would. He was almost univeraalitit to ''
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matters in every country. (llea '-.
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question e'rfrthe measures of this c ,r . 'lei e r a - ...'
~.e-e-&len,
&len, Mr,- Whitworth 'was quiploye to :tret_ e e-ee ery
When a new machine was ELMC:IB3
that house, the architeet of the buildinaPplill to Str.
Whitworth. He had invented a gun; and had submittfed
it to experiments which had been decidedly successful.
Every one who had seen the gun declared that it was the
best ever produced. 1.1:-. Whitworth had been induced to
turn his attention to the imeroventent of gunnery by an
application front the Government of the day in 185 t, in the
midst of the Crimean war. In that year Mr. 'Whitworth
first turned his attention to this subject, and ever since that
time he had been eminently successful in his researches.
His ride s. , s astly superior to the rice already in use. He
believed that this' ritle,had been considered by two com-
mittees, and as it appeared with no practical result. as
(the Earl of Camperdown) might pethaps be told that
financial considerations had prevented its adoption; but
could such considerations prevail for a moment when the
lives of Lrave men were at stake e Mr. Whitworth had
produced a ride which would carry a ball a distance of di
miles; and he (Lord Carnperdown) had been informed by
a person who had never handled a gun before in his life,
diet with one of these rifles he had been able rata distance
of two miles to send two shots into a mark six feet high by
wee-and-a-half foot broad. Si* J. Burgoyne had stated that
he had neverseen a better ormore simple weapon. At the trial
not only Sir J. Burgoyne but anumber of the manufacturing
population of Lancashire were present. Mr. Fairbaim, who
was also present, congratulated the country upon such an ac-
quisition. There were present, moreover, not only English-
men but the representatives of foreign sovereigns—parties
from the Russian and French armies,aud representatives of
almost every Government in Europe. Mr. Whitworth him-
self had been compelled to erect a manufactory at Man.
chester, unaided by the Government, for the sale of these
rifles to private persons. He desired therefore to put to
her Majesty's Government the question of which he had
given notice.
Earl DE GREY and RIPON said it would scarcely be
necessary to tell the noble earl or to assure their lordships
that the great results of the trial of the gun which had been
invented by Mr. Whitworth, as exhibited by the experi-
ments at Southport, had engaged the attention of his right
hon. friend the Secretary at War and of her Majesty's Go-
vernment. Those experiments had attraoted attention in
every part of the country, and the report of their results
had received the best consideration at the hands of the Mi-
nistry. He begged further to state that the object of the
Government in regard to this matter being simply to obtain
for the country the weapon which was moat efficient for
warfare, his right hon. friend had determined that &formal
trial of this gun should take place, to be under the supervi-
sion of officers of the Government appointed to superintend
experiments of this nature, and who are wholly unconnected
with any particular manufacturer or inventor—namely, the
members of the Ordnance Select Committee, presided over
by an officer of great experience, Cel. St. George, who
himself was present at Southport at the first display of the
rifled cannon invented and recently exhibited by Mr. Whit-
worth. Nothing could be more important than that thi e
country, distinguished as it was for its triumphs of mechani-
cal genius, should be provided with the best weapon of
defence that could be invented ; and he (Earl do Grey)
could assure the noble earl that no adherence to precon-
ceived opinion would deter her Majesty's Government from
selecting that weapon which, after investigation, should
turn out to be the best. He was sure, however, that the
house would not desire her Majesty's Government to decide
without a full and complete examination. They were an-
xious, therefore, to propose this trial ; Mr. 'Whitworth had
declared himself ready to submit his gun to the examination
and there could be no question, as the results at Southport
showed, that the bun would prove itself a most valuable en-
gine of warfare under any circumstances under which it might
be tried. There was one point, however, in his noble friend's
speech which he (Earl de Grey) had heard with less plea-
sure than the rest. His noble friend appeared to draw an
unnecessary comparison between Mr. Whitworth's inven-
tion and that of Sir W. Armstrong. Both the inventors
were men of great ability and remarkable talent—(hear,
hear)—and whilst he quite agreed in the eulogy which had
been passed upon Mr. Whitworth, he must take exception
to that part of his noble friend's speech which seemed to
convey something of a reflection on Sir W. Armstrong's
present position. There was no intention on the part of
her Majesty's Government to give to any one a monopoly of
Government manufacture. It would be granted neither to
Sir W. Armstrong nor to the company which he represented.
The noble earl must remember that the late Government
entered into certain arrangements with Sir W. Armstrong
relative to the works at Elawick, which were of a very
peculiar character. Sir W. Armstrong gave up his inven-
tion and all the improvements which he had subsequently
made it. In return he was appointed to the office of over-
seer of rifled ordnance, with a salary of £3,000 a-year. Very
shortly after a large supply of rifled cannon was required.
Sir W. Armstrong was the only person who could make
these particular cannon, though other guns could be reads
at ordinary iron works or anywhere else. Consequently, Sir
W. Armstrong's foundry was established at Woolwich, and
General Peel devoted the energies of the gunmakers at
Woolwich to rifled ordnance. But his right hon. friend had
no intention of giving either to Sir W. Armstrong or to any
ono else an exclusive monopoly. If Mr. Whitworth or any
other inventor could show any superiorityin his invention,
an opportunity would be afforded to hint of displaying it.
There was one point, however, connected with the Whit-
worth rifle to which he would venture to allude. It must
be borne in mind that when the trial with the Whitworth and
Enfield rifle which had been referred to was made, the
Whitworth rifle was a much more costly weapon than that
which was ultimately adopted. He was not speaking of
great guns ; but in speaking of the rifles, the expense did
materially enter into calculation, when there was a question
of supplying the army with one sort of weapon. Mr.
Whitworth, however, was now able to produce rifles
at less cost. He had, he telieved, stated all that
his noble friend wished to now. He begged to
assure his noble friend there was every intention on the
part of the Government to examine this question in the
fullest manner, and to decide in the fairest spirit upon
the invention which might prove most efficient ; nor need
any inventor bo afraid of not obtaining a fair and
honourable trial if he were only willing to submit to it.
(Hear, hear.)

The Earl of CAMPERDOWN, in explanation, begged
to disavow having used any expressions which wore in-
tended to cast any reflection upon the character oz position
of Sir W. Armstrong.
The subject then dropped, and their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YEsTERDAX.)
The SPEAKER. took the chair at four o'clock.
Pll.ll, ATE Duarri.e..
The following bills were considered and (tiered for third
reading :—Consett District Water, Lincoln Heath and
Market Peeping Roads, Stourbridgo Railway, Wellington
(Salop) Water, and Inverness and Aberdeen Junction
Railway.
THE RECENT DEATH ON THE NORTH KENT
RAILWAY.
Mr. DEEDES moved an address, for copy of a Utta
(with its inclosures), from the Admiralty
to the Home-
r
office, dated the 6th day of February, 1860, relative to dm
death of a boatman on the North Kent Railway.—Ordered.
ADMISSION OF ENGLISH GOODS INTO

CE.
Mr. EGERTON asked RA
he Chanceller of the Exche-
quer whether any supplemental treaty had been arranged
between this country and France on the subject of the du-
ties on goods admitted from this country into France ; and,
if so, whether he had any objection to lay it on the table.
Lord J. RUSSELL—No such supplemental treaty had
been made.

SAN JUAN.
Mr. LAYFIELD asked what progress had been mad.
with reference to the settlement of the San Juan queatioa,
and whether Government would object to producing any
correspondence that had passed between the British and
American Governments on the subject.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that communications were going
on between the respective Governments with reference to
the subject.

ANNEXATION OF ITALIAN STATES TO SAR-
DINIA.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Mr. HENNESSY moved that the house at its rising do
adjourn until Monday, and asked the Secretary- of State
for Foreign Affairs whether the Government had advised
her Majesty to recognise the annexation of Bologna, Tus-
cany, Modena, and Parma to the kingdom of Sardinia ; and,
if so, whether ho is prepared to state the reasons which hero
induced the Government to tender such advice to her Majesty.
He availed himself of the opportunity to draw the attention •
of the house to the gross neglect of Irish busiest,* which
characterised the proceedings of Government during the
present session. He called on the right hon. gentleman the
Secretary for Ireland to state what lime he
intended to pursue with regard
to
borel personalmea-
sures during the present session.
for his Ignorance of
testimony to the courtesy of the rightedhotnh.:tehnetlwernaasna,abiu:.
that courtesy could not compensate
Ireland and the Irish, and ho consider
laeinlorhdenthesetiPeorlieilthSea-t
coxmisptedeteinnttthoatcolpenttory7iatshthtehenopbl
ceretary was with the policy of Vienna and Paris,
Sir G. C. LEWIS said that he did not rise to answer
the question of the hon. gentleman, but he reminded the
house of the time occupied two or three years ago in tha
consideration of Irish affairs to the exclusion of Scotch and
English business. That these affairs did not occupy so
much of the attention of hon. members was a mat-
ter of congratulation, because it indicated an improvd
state of the condition of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) He •
must object to the motion of the hon. member for the ad-
journment of the house until Monday, as it would be neces-
sary for hon. members meet to-morrow in order to receive
a commission. It was not the intention of his noble friend.
the Foreign Secretary to propose the resumption of the
adjourned debate on the Reform Bill this evening, but to
postpone it until altar Easter. (Hear, hear.)
THE RECEIVER MASTER OF THE COURT OF
CHANCERY IN IRELAND.
Mr. WHITESIDE drew the attention of the house to
the recent appointment of Mr. Lyle, at prevent Race:Aver
Master of the Court of Chancery in Ireland to 'the dignity
of Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Londonderry, and to
the circumstances under which such appoit ,tment was
made. Ho considered the appointment, on the eve of
a general election, cf a gentleman like Mr. Lyle,
who, from his antecedents and profession, was , not properly
qualified for the office, was an insult to thc nobility and
gentry of Londonderry. He had no objectill .n to that gen-
tleman receiving a retiring pension fo,r. his SUMAS,
but what he objected to was the appoin Ant ent of a poli-
tical partisan at such a crisis.
Mr. CARDWELL defended the app.() in.tment. Then
[Continued in our fourth pas 0.)