The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDONA FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 25, 1861

of the Armstrong breech is removed and. replaced
at each shot is on the top, not at 'the end of the
barrel, and thc,s the plugs themselves, when blown

out whole, or their fragments, when broken to

pieces in the sea ting, have undergone these frequent
operations hitherto without occasifining loss of life.

Four of these breeches were thus blown out in ser-
vice against the enemy during tile 3,800 rounds de-
livered in all from the Armstron.g batteries in China,
being at a rata of loss at that time of only one per
1,000 shots, which is about the number that a good
grouse moor in a good season will afford per w eek
to its owner; but after thus exploding a gun breech
per week for the first month of his sport, t)'iere are
few owners I think who would become so e'jamoured
of so new-pr&tterned a gun as to emplo-f its maker
any further. Nevertheless, the great r
Ational manu-
factories employed to produce the vieapons destined
to destroy, not our grouse, but our enemies, have
received even increased pe ,tronage since this first
proof of their powers of delivering shot at both
ends; only that by a very ingenious device the plug
itself, as suggested by the China practice, is now
prevented from fl ying, out at all, and seems to re-
sent this impro-Jement in restricting its liberty by
a practice, as v le see, 120-fold more frequent, of fly-
ing to pieces • vvhere it is, besides disabling the gun
itself as it does so.

Without following your contemporary into the
cause he as,signs for this constant destruction of
Armstrong breeches, in which I believe him to be
quite righ*4 and to which he might have added one
more equally as apparent and cogent, and without
seeking to support from my own observations all he
says and fears in respect to shot and shell and fuses,
all of which are delicate and complicated chemical
and mechanical compounds, combined and propor-
tioned under their present conditions for the first
time, and only to be confirmed therein as they may
stand the tests of durability in all atmospheres, at
all temperatures, throughout all changes of climate
and all 'nodes of treatment and transport, such as
years of watchful study can alone furnish—without
enlarging on any of these, I will only offer one
practical illustration more.
At the second shot fired at the Trusty on the
28th of September, 1859, the "right rear man"
at the gun was blown down by explosion from
the plug aperture of the breech, which in that
first gun was at the side. He was picked up
scorched, the hair of his face burnt off, and his sight
temporarily injured by what is still mildly termed
" an escape of gas ;" for to this day the 100-pounder,
at least, delivers this rear explosion with equal
force as it did then, notwithstanding that the two
years' interval has been employed on every device
which promised a remedy. That remedy was hoped
for by the adoption of what are termed " expanding
cups"—perhaps " saucers" would be more descrip-
tive—by what the joint at the breech-plug is sup-
posed to be kept firetight, but with what success
may be judged of by the fact that when recently
firing at Mr. Jones's target the sides of the "saucer"
itself, which is of ordinary tin, were doubled up and
blown out in considerable pieces at the breech aper-
ture, notwithstanding that at each shot the breech
screw was carefully hove tight upon the back of the
plug. Meantime, with the warning given by the
first accident I have quoted, the aperture itself has
been removed from the side to the top of the barrel,
that the explosion may take place into the air, but
with the following consequences :—The plug itself
(vent-piece) is of that weight to require two men to
lift it out and in, and its position is so awkward
that in order to do so they must stand up on the
gun-carriage, their shoulders reaching to a height
of not less than 7 feet. The operations they have to
perform are essential, and require much care, both
preceding and terminating those of loading, during
which their persons as low as the knee are visible
from the level of a small boat on the water ; from a
deck of a similar gunboat their entire persons are
open for rifle aim. No such amount of personal ex-
posure as this has ever yet accompanied the use of
any known gun, and if this 100-pounder be indeed
capable of being fought " between decks" at all, the
decks, and, therefore, ship, must be built of an
especial height for the purpose.
Such, sir, is the new rifled ordnance which Eng-
land has at present " established" for the navy, and
if the exhaustless ingenuity of its author should
succeed to-morrow in finding permanent remedies
for all those "numerous failings," in itself and
missiles, he is now without doubt instantly engaged
on, its "inherent defects" as a great arm for naval
warfare would still remain as follows :
Under circumstances however critical and immi-
nent-Ist, it cannot be loaded at the muzzle; 2d,
it cannot be double shotted ; 3d, it cannot throw an
incendiary (Martin's) shell ; 4th, it cannot be used
with reduced charges for fear of the effects of air
space ; sth, within certain limits of distance it can-
not be used to cover either troops or boats with
either shot or shell, for fear of the lead which strips
from all its projectiles, as proved on service in
China, and as openly admitted by the author him-
selt in May last.
The facts thus presented for public consideration
on this grave matter have been acquired under no
special facilities. On the contrary, they have been
gleaned under a full share of those obstructions by
which our present official system deems it a duty to
impede the efforts of all officers desirous of occupy-
ing unemployed time by acquiring practical know-
ledge in those great professional changes now so rife.
But that even an approach to such facts can be
gleaned and stated at all of our present position,
after at least two years of unlimited expenditure,
and the devoted aid of so much professional talent,
military and naval, may perhaps be held to indicate
that possibly the time has now arrived to draw
breath and look around us, lest by a blind continu-
ance of this full-mouthed chorus after the great
Armstrong system we find ourselves pursuing far
ess directly towards a national triumph than into
:he humiliation of a great national delusion.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
E. PELLEW HALSTED, Captain, R.N.
Talladh-a-Bheithe, Perthshire, Oct. 15.