The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 31, 1861.

UMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—YESTERDAY.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

EARL RUSSELL.

Earl RUSSELL, who was introduced by Earl Granville
and the Earl of Stafford, took the oaths and his seat as
Earl Russell of Kingston-Russell. He then proceeded to
the woolsack, and shook hands with the Lord Chancellor.
He was attended during the proceedings by Lord
Willoughby d'Eresby, the hereditary Lord High Chamber-
lain, and Sir Augustus Clifford,
.Usher of the Black Rod,
and Sir C. Young, Garter King-at-Arms.
Atter the ceremony the new peer left the house and re-
moved his robes. He then returned and received ;he con-
gratulations of the assembled peers.
STANDING ORERS.

The standing orders were dispensed with in the case of
the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway (Traffic and
Capital) and Vane Tempest's Estate bill.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Midland Counties and Shannon Junction Railway,
Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway, Lynn and Sutton
Bridge Railway, and West Hartlepool Harbour and Rail-
way bills were read. a third time and passed.
PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
The Duke of BUCCLETJCH presented several petitions
suggesting alterations and improvements in this bill.

was obsolete, and considered the motion as a practical joke.
Sir G. BOWYER supported the motion, and contended
that the retention of the act in' question was opposed to
common sense.
Mr. HENNFSSY, with reference o the remarks of the
right hon. gentleman (Sir G. C, Lewis) said that Dr.
M'Hale had been examined before a committee of the house,
and described himself as Archbishop of Tuam, and his evi-
dence was printed under that designation.
Sir G. C. LEWIS explained that the act had reference
to existing sees, and as there was no Protestant Archbishop
of Tuam, the act had not been infringed in the instance
alluded to.
Mr. NEWDEGATE thought that the hon. member
(Mr. Hennessy) should have introduced a bill on the sub-
ject, instead of endeavouring to get rid of the act in ques-
tion by a motion of this description.
The committee agreed to certain clauses, but on coming
to the clause relating to the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill divided
on the amendment of Mr. HENNESSY—
For the amendment 4
Against it
Majority —6s
The amendment was accordingly lost, and the schedule
was agreed to.
The house then resumed.
Mr. AYRTON drew attention to what he contended
was an irregularity in regard to this bill. The measure
originated with the House of Lords, and as it proposed to
repeal certain acts relating to supply he considered it was
an infringement of the privileges of this house. He gave
notice that he would make a motion on the subject to-
morrow.
The SPEAKER explained that as the bills alluded to
were obsolete there could be no infringement of the privi-
leges of this house.
PAROCHIAL OFFICES BILL.
This bill, after some discussion, went through committee.
OFFICES OF RESERVE (ROYAL NAVY) BILL.
This bill went through committee.
GOVERNMENT OF THE NAVY BILL.
This bill, as amended, was considered and ordered for
third reading.
THE BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY BILL.
The SPEAKER, announced that the Lords had con-
sented to the amendments made by the House of Commons
in relation to the alteration made by their lordships relative
to the Chief Justice of the Bankruptcy Court, and agreed
to the other clauses.
GOVERNMENT OF THE NAVY BILL.
This bill, as amended, was considered and ordered for
third reading.
THE BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY BILL.
The SPEAKER announced that the Lords adhered to their
amendment relative to the Chief Judge of ithe Bankruptcy
and Insolvency Court, but agreed to the other clauses with-
out amendments.
The house then adjourned at five minutes past 6 o'clock.

EXPERIMENTS A 7 StIOBBURFIVESS.

During yesterday some interesting experiments
were conducted at Shoeburyness, under the supe-
rintendence of the Iron Plate Commission, upon
two new kinds of targets, built lip to resemble a

portion of an iron-plated frigate's broadside. One
target was sent in to be experimented upon by Mr.
Fairbairn. This was about ten feet long by six feet
high, and consisted of four plates be inches thick,
the upper and lower being each about ten feet, the

two in the centre being only five feet each. The pe-
culiarity of this target was that there was no wooden
backing to the armour plating,for the attention of the

commission has lately been much directed to endea-

vouring to ascertain how far it is possible by a slight
increase in the thickness of the plates to do away

entirely with the weight and expense of the vertical
and horizontal mass of timber beyond them. Ano-
ther peculiarity was the effort to do away with the

acknowledged source of weakness which arises from
holes having to be drilled in the plates for the bolts

:o fasten them to the ship's side. In nearly all cases

where plates have been fractured by shot the crack

has commenced from one of the rivet holes, There

were none of these in Mr. Fairbairn's target. The

plates were fastened directly to what in an iron fri-
gate would be its outer skin, which, in the case of
the target, was represented by wrought-iron three-

quarters of an inch thick. From the inner side of
this were rib girders much of the same kind as the
iron ribs of a frigate would be. These were half an

inch by about 11 inches deep and 18 apart, with
stout angle irons fastening them to the outer skin.
From inside this skin the rivets were let into the

plate like topped screws, penetrating a little more

than halfway through the five-inch armour plate.
The iron used in this target was of the very best
kind, and the whole of its workmanship was admi-
rable and substantial tothe last degree, as the tests
showed. First, a flat-headed steel shot, about 11b.
in weight, was fired against it to test the quality of
the iron. This made only a dent of from a quarter
to one-third of an inch in depth. Two of Armstrong's
401 b. shell, filled with sand, were next discharged
point blank at a distance of 100 yards. They also
dented the iron to the depth of some three-quarters
of an inch, but otherwise seemed to have but little
effect, except upon the rivets of the angle iron in-
side the sheathing, which were apparently some-
what started. Two flat-headed 40-pounder steel
shot, fired at the same range, produced more effect.
Their indentation was quite an inch and a half, if
not more, and the rivet heads holding the armour
plates were evidently shaken, though apparently
they held as firmly as ever. The 100-pounder Arm-
strong was next tried at 200 yards, with a shell
filled with sand. This broke one of the angle irons
of the inner sheathing, made a deep dent, and started
some of the smaller rivets, yet on the whole surpris-
ingly little damage was done, and
practically the tar-
get seemed as strong as ever. A solid 100-pounder
was then tried, and this struck with a tremendous
blow the centre of the mark, the effect of which
visibly started the plates and t
a rathern curved them
outwards at some of their joints. The effect of two
shots from a solid 68-pounder at 100
starting them from them
skin tothey
substance considerably. A
were bolted, and denting them
throughwhthiceh
ir
entire2oolb. shot was then fired at 200 yards range. This
ponderous missile not only made a very deep dent
where it struck, but bulged
the I who e target in,
shaking all the plates loose, and breaking some of
the screws which held them. Still, however,
, no
plate gave way under these tremendous visitations,
nor had any of them been detached. The last shot
fired was with a 100 pounder at 800 yards, and the
effect of this was final. By the force of the concus-
sion the upper plate, with one of the centre small
ones, was completely destroyed, and came crashing
flown, leaving those that still remained in a very
shaky and precarious condition. It was, however,
considered by all on the ground to have withstood
the rude assaults it had received in the most extra-
ordinary manner. The screws held on to the very
last, and a great deal longer than any one expected,
while the plates, though,
of course, much battered
and defaced, were not only not broken, but showed
no symptoms of becoming so. On the whole, there-
fore, it was considered that the resistance offered by
this
plan had been most satisfac-
a target built on•
torily proved, and the value of some of its improve-
ments established.

hmisedvieas the very upon a target
inventedTheex
by Asi pre. ri
Roberts.men
re-
verse in principle from Mr. Fairbairn's, inasmuch
next experiments wereT
as the thickness of the iron plates was dimi-
nished while the timber backing Was increased.
Mr. Fairbairn's showed how shot-proof frigates
might, with advantage, be made of iron only,
while Mr. Roberts's was designed to prove that
wooden ships could be as easily rendered shot-
proof as if specially built for the purpose. The
back of this target was formed of wrought iron
three-eighths of an inch thick. To this were
fastened iron T plates, which on a frigate
would run along the vessel's side fore and aft. Be-
tween these were fitted oak beams 9 inches square,
which being all tight caulked hold the plates firmly
in their position, so as to prevent lateral bend, and
enable them to resist the maximum pressure due to
their strength. Over this again comes another
layer of beams and T plates, placed vertically, fitted
in the same way and bolted firmly in to the ship's
side. Over ail this comes the armour plates. Each
of these latter are 3 inches thick and 2 feet wide,
and made in an angular form, something like a
wide shaped letter V. All the joints are planed so
as to insure accuracy of fit, and thus when a ship's
side was covered with these plates, the alternate
angular projections and recesses would resemble in
shape, on a small scale, the ordinary ridge and fur-
row roofing used in glass buildings. Where the
longitudinal joints occur a recess is cut in the plates,
into which is fitted an iron rib 6 inches wide and
4-14- deep, the outside face of the rib being ttlso an.

gular. These joint ribs are fastened through with
11 inch bolts, while the V shaped armour plates are
secured by 9 inch bolts, 18 inches apart. Each ar-
mour plate rises from the side of the ship to an
angle of about one foot in height, the face of each
angle being also a foot in depth. On this system
Mr. Roberts contends a ship may be built of the
same strength, costing only one fifth of the money
required for a ship constructed wholly of iron, and
being only one third of the latter's weight. The
target experimented on at Shoeburvness was built
entirely on the princiLle we
have here mentioned,
and was on the whole an exceedingly fine piece of
workmanship. Mr. Roberts and Mr. Burn, C.E.
(who is associated with Mr. Roberts in his inven-
tion), had, however, committed the serious fault of
having their target made too small. It was only 6
feet by 4, and consequently, as all the shots were
aimed low, they struck almost on the same spots,
which wanted the surrounding support a larger
target would have naturally afforded. So far the
test of strength was taken at a disadvantage to the
invention. The first shot fired at it with a 1-lb.
flat-headed steel ball to test the iron struck upon
the angular face of one of the armour plates. Yet, in
spite of this, it apparently made as deep a dent as a
similar projectile had made in the flat upright
plates of Mr. Fairbairn's target. Two 401 b. shells,
filled with sand, were then fired from an Armstrong
at 100 yards, but did no perceptible damage. A
flat-headed 40-pounderwhich was next fired struck
one of the rib joint pieces we have spoken of be-
tween the angles, and broke it. It, however, still
remained firm in its place, and a 100-pounder Arm-
strong shell, at 200 yards, did no apparent damage.
Not so, however, with a solid shot at the same
range, which came full upon the edge of the angle
of the centre plate, inflicting a deep dent, and
slightly fracturing through the plate itself. The
next, a solid 68-pounder, hit full upon the same
joint rib which had been struck and broken before
with a tremendous blow. It ,'split the rib joint at
its outer rivet hole, breaking off the end of it en-
tirely. Still, however, the target was quite firm
apparently. The next 68. pounder fired struck full
upon the extreme lower edge of the mark with such
force as to shatter the wooden frame which sup-
ported it, and turn the target completely over on
its face. It was evident, therefore, that this missile
hit with undiminished force, and that apparently
striking on the angle of the plate did not, in this
case at least, at all tend to make it glance off and
so diminish the concussion. The target will be re-
placed and the practice continued at it again to-
day with the 100-pounder Armstrong solid shot.
That this will break it up Mr. Roberts himself at
at once admits. It has, however, already stood won-
derfully well considering the small size of the tar-
get itself, and that its plates are only three inches
in thickness.