The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-10 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.
The clipper ship Mermaid has arrived from Mel-
bourne with 60 passengers, 14,000 ounces of gold,
and 1,500 bales of wool. The advices by her have
been anticipated.

FALMOUTH, MONDAY

The ship Sussex, Captain Fothergill, arrived off
the port today from Melbourne, in 84 days. She
has on freight about 80,000 ounces of gold. She
landed her mails and some passengers.

THE ROYAL GUN FOUNDRY AT

WOOLWICH.

At a time like the present, when some of the most
powerful states of Europe are launched into perhaps
long and sanguinary war, and into the vortex of
which no one knows how soon this country may be
drawn, the interest of the public is naturally
awakened to the consideration of the efficiency of
the arious departments employed in the manufac-
ture and preparation of war materials. The occa-
sion is therefore a favourable one again to advert
to a subject which occupied our columns some
months back, viz., the royal factories recently
established at Woolwich for the manufacture of
ordnance and warlike stores. It is not the object
of this notice to enter into the question whether or
no these works are established on a legitimate basis,
or whether they are likely to prove a saving of the
public money, but merely to show the vast quanti-
ties of ordnance, shot, shell, and other warlike
stores, which, in the event of war, could be produced
from the Royal Arsenal alone. Since the com-
mencement of the present year the greatest activity
has prevailed throughout the Ordnance Depart-
ment of the Arsenal, and though for the past few
weeks the operations in the iron gun foundry have
been suspended during the repair of the four old
furnaces, and the construction of two new ones, the
preparation, proving, and shipment of the contract
guns have proceeded with the greatest activity; the
average number of heavy guns despatched from the
gun-wharf per week being no less than one hun-
dred. This great demand has been created by the
arming of the numerous vessels of war lately put
into commission, and the changing at the various
coast and other defences of the old unservice-
able 24-pounders for long 32 and 68-pounders.
Notwithstanding this un isual shipment, the con-
tracts for the supply of guns for the present year
are smaller than those of last year, while 300 pieces
of heavy ordnance have been ordered from the new
foundry during the present financial year. The
store of cannon of all calibres now in the Arsenal
is sufficient to supply all demands for years to come,
there being between 15,000 and 20,000 pieces of
serviceable ordnance on the various wharves, which
could be prepared and despatched to any part of
the world at the rate of 200 per week. With the
six furnaces, which will shortly be in working
operation in the gun foundry, it will be capable of
turning out ten 68-pounders per week. When the
whole ten furnaces are erected, the foundry will be
capable of producing twenty new guns per week, a
number which, without taking into account the
contract entrusted to the Gospel Oak and Low Moor
works, would be sufficient to supply all ordinary
peace demands for cannon. A very large series of
worshops is now in course of erection close to the
new foundry for the manufucture of the Armstrong.
guns. The works will take in the old Lancaster
shell factory, which contains thirteen furnaces and
nine steam hammers, so that without going to any
very great outlay for plant, Mr. Armstrong, who
will superintend the factory, will, as soon as the
works are completed, be in a position to supply his
guns as fast as they are likely to be required.
A great deal of mystery has been thrown round
this most destructive weapon, and Government
have certainly done all in their power to prevent
the secret of its nature and construction from
transpiring. The jealous care with which the
drawings and models have been guarded has, as
might have been expected, proved ineffectual for
this purpose, the gun having been publicly manu
factured in Newcastle-on-Tyne and openly used for
practice in Woolwich. It is a waste of timelo
try to prevent those who are interested in obtain-
ing the information, from becoming acquainted
with every particular connected with its construc-
tion. Mucn has been said about the danger to
which -England would be exposed if any adverse
power were enabled to construct these weapons ;
but it should be remembered at the same time that
the knowledge of the principles upon which the
gun is made will not of itself enable foreign go-
vernments to construct it. The detailed descrip-
tion of our machinery, our engines, and our small-
arm rifles has never been kept concealed from the
world, and yet the mechanical skill necessary
.for
their manufacture has never been found in foreign
countries. The Armstrong gun is a piece of me-
chanism which would tax the skill of English
artisans, even when directed by the inventor. How
little, then, need we fear that foreign nations would
be able to manufacture it, even if supplied with de-
scriptive plans and drawings. The principles upon
which the advantages possessed by the weapon de-
pend are not novel, even as applied to gunnery. In
external appearance the gun differs very little from
the ordnance commonly in use, except in being a little
more than half the diameter in proportion to the
weight of shot carried, and not quite half the weight.
It may be familiarly described as a hollow tube, the
bore extending from the muzzle out at the breech. The
upper portion of the bore, from the chamber to the
muzzle, along which the projectile passes, is rifled
by about 30 grooves, 1-16th of an inch wide and
1-10th of an inch deep, which have a spiral pitch of
one complete turn in 16 feet. The other portion of
the bore, from the chamber to the extremity of the
breech, through which the charge is introduced, is
smooth, and rather wider than the rifled part.
Immediately behind the chamber in which the
charge is exploded, and about a foot or so from the
breech, there is a square slot, some four or five inches
across, which extends from the upper surface of the
gun, and cuts right across the bore. • When the
charge has been inserted through the breech a When,
piece of iron is dropped into the slot, and by a screw
placed in the breech is firmly forced against the
conical base of the chamber, forming an effectual
break, which is capable of resisting the explosion.
To the projectile, however, is owing in a great
measure the efficiency of the gun. It is formed of
iron, elongated in shape, like the Minie bullet. Two
grooves are cut at different places along its length,
into which' are cast belts of lead which project about
one quarter of an inch beyond the diameter of the
shot. The projectile and the charge of powder are,
as we have said before, introduced through the
breech. The plug which fits into the slot is then
dropped and screwed into its place, so as effectually
to prevent an.y lateral escape of the explosion. When
the charge is ignited the conical spot is driven forward
into the rifled portion of the bore, which being rather
narrower than the diameter of the shot, the leaden
belts are firmly forced into the grooves, and the
whole bore so effectually wedged
up during the
passage of the shot that there is absolutely no
windage," or escape of the explosion, until the
shot has left the muzzle.o.iveTn oh
husait.gh:
owfb
po loew odfe
rt hies
propulsive power of a b
utilised, and an enormous range obtained. The cen-
ts
ht rouucgt
hi o nn
not
tf
perhapsthe body
quiteofthe
gun itself is ingenious,
novel. It is entirely of
wrought iron. Iu the original plan proposed by
Mr. Armstrong the bore was intended to be of steel,
strengthened outside by massive cylinders of
wrought-iron welded on while at a high tempera-
ture, and firmly fixed to the steel core by the con-
traction consequent upon cooling. This plan has
been altered, and the cores are now either made of
wrought or cast iron. The wrought iron cylinders
are made like the twisted steel barrels of a fowling-
piece, by winding red hot bars of wrought iron
spirally round a polished metal drum of the re•
quired diameter. These successive spirals are Then
pressed and welded together, forming a tube whose
greatest tensile strength is in a direction transverse
to its length. These tubes, in lengths of one or
two feet, are welded to the core in a state of incan-
descence, and are contracted firmly to their places
on cOoling. Outside this a second covering of the
same descriptionof wrought iron cylinders is welded,
which completes the gun. This peculiar combina-
tion of iron cylinders, the tensile fibres of which
run in different directions, has the effect of prevent-
ing thP.expansion Af the bore during firing. It
stops the vibration so destructive to the strength of