The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-19 00:00:00

THE ARMSTRONG GUN.

At the moment of going to press, our attention
was attracted by a most extraordinary statement
made to the House of Commons by Mr. Baring on
Friday night. That gentleman has chosen, we
suppose on information derived from the Woolwich
department, to impugn our statement of the Ist
inst. Our reply is simple. We challenge that
gentleman to produce General Crofton- and Major
Hay's confidential report already refused to the
House. If the Government venture to publish
these, every word that we have stated will be found
to be more than sustained. The 9 pounder brass
gun, after receiving six shots at 20 yards, was still
serviceable, inasmuch as grape and canister could
still be fired from it, as well as shot and shell.
The indentations of the bore were not quite equal
to the tenth of an inch, and the whole of these in-
dentations could have been removed on the field in
one hour and a-half, with a rose-cutter similar to
those supplied with every one of Sir W. Arm-
strong's guns when on service. This done, and the
gun would have been as good for service as ever.
Let the Government say or do what they will, the
system of Sir William Armstrong is defective in
mechanical principle and arrangement, and can
never remain in the service. The statement of
Mr. Baring on the cost of the gun confirms our
reports. Divide the money expended by the num-
ber of guns which he states have been produced,
and the cost of each gun remains more than we
have mentioned. Let Mr. Baring inquire of the
department how much work remains to be done,
and what cost is incurred at Woolwich, after the
guns have been delivered from Elswick ; and at
whose expense the Chamber of Horrors at Wool-
wich is so amply furnished. Lastly, we entreat
Mr. Baring to acquire more precise information of
the departments before he again makes a statement
to the House on this subject.—Mechanics' Magazine.

The Great Eastern is appointed to sail for New
York on the Ist of May next, under the command of
Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie, R.N.—the Directors
having, apparently, decided not to re-engage Capt. Vine
Hall, who, it will be remembered, was appointed com-
mander on the death of Captain Harrison.
SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT THE UNDERGROUND
RAILWAY.—About nine o'clock yesterday morning, as se-
veral navvies were at work on the tunnelling in the Mary-
lebone-road, at the top of Northumberland-street, for the
Underground Railway, a heap of earth gave way of about
the weight of five tons, which buried a man named Allen.
The earth was quickly removed by his fellow navvies, whe
succeeded in extricating him, but in an insensible state.
He was taken by Wheeler, 303 D, who assisted in his re
lease, to St. Mary's Hospital, where it was found that both
bis legs were broken, and one of his thighs was crushed.
There are but little hopes of his surviving the accident.

PAPER DUTIES.—The return moved for by the
Earl of Camperdow n has been printed. The quantity of
paper manufactured in this countryinlBsBwas 192,847,8251 b,
in 1859 217,287,1971 b, in 1860 223,575,2851 b—a consider-
able increase in each year. So recently as 1848 the quantity
was only 121,820,2291 b. The net produce of the duty was
£1,103,754 in 1858, £1,258,464 in 1859, £1,321,105 in 1860.
The net produce of the Customs duty on paper imported
into this country was £9,886 in 1858, £14,941 in 1859, and
and £27,236 in 1860. The paper duty therefore brings in
more than half as much as the income tax on trades and
professions produces at its original rate of 7d.
THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE EIGHT-OARED
RACE.—The Oxford orew have, as we are informed, arrived
at their headquarters, Mr. John Kirby's, the White Lion
Hotel, Putney. The great event is fixed for Saturday,
March 23, starting about 11.30 a.m. We doubt not a
pleasant, active, and diligent week will be spent by both
crews on the Thames water. The Cambridge crew, as on
former occasions, locate themselves at the Star and Garter.
HER, MAJESTY'S GUNBOAT FORWARD.--ADMI-
RALTY, March 18,—Accounts have this day reached the
Admiralty by which the apprehensions entertained for the
safety of her Majesty's gunboat Forward have been en-
tirely removed.—The vessel reached Esquimalt harbour in
safety on the 25th of January.
A letter from Corfu of the 12th says :--" The
draft of the reply to the message of the Lord High Com-
missioner, proposed in the lonian Parliament, declared
that thes s Englisheofprotectorate ought to be Considered as the
sole cause of sufferings of the lonian Islands. One
o
member recommended a vote in favour of annexation to
Greece, and another read a memoir against the English
protectorate, and announced that the document should be
addressed to the Governments and populations of Europe.
In consequence of these incidents, the Parliament has
been adjourned for six months."

The Opinione of Turinsays Lord Seymour,
on leaving Venice, had his luggage passed at the Custom-
house as usual, and was about to enter the railway station,
when he was stopped by two Customs officers, who began
to search his pockets, and asked him whether he had any-
thing liablo to duty. The English diplomatist was so in_
dignant at this treatment that he struck one of them in the
face with his fist, and called them vile myrmidons. Not-
withstanding the apologies of the commissary of police, who
hastened to the spot, his lordship exclaimed in good Italian
that the Austrian Government was worse than the Turkish
and that the journals only told the truth in relating the
vexations to which foreigners were exposed. It is said that
Lord Seymour also sent off a telegraphic message to the
English Ambassador at Vienna? requestin4 him to demao
--tlafictiott, •