The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-24 00:00:00

THE SHOEBURYNESS EXPERIMENTS.

Tlie second stage of the War Office programme of trials
st Shoeburyness has commenced with operations against
the experimental casemate, a structure standing side by
side with the shattered Plymouth fort target. The case-
it ate to be practised upon by shells of different diameter,
propelled by charges varied in force, presents the view
)f an oblong iron target, twelve feet in height from its
ranite base, with a porthole to the right of its centre.
On the back-plate, 2 inches thick, which extends over the
whole, are bolted plates of different thickness, which, com-
mencing from the proper right of the casemate, are in
Drdcr as follows :—First, an 8-inch plate, 4 feet 3 inches
wide, and reaching from top to bottom of the target ;
secondly, a 43-inch plate, with hollow bars between
it and the back-plate ; then a 6-inch plate, between
which and the back-plate 'are Hughes's patent hollow
stringers; then, on the other side of the embrasure, a 4-inch
plate, with hollow bars behind ; next, a plate 14i inches
thick, about one-half of which is backed by concrete, and
the other half by hollow iron bars, with perpendicular
girder iron, making at the embrasure an entire thickness
)f 3 feet. The shield proved itself a perfect protection
tgainst the Rodman and 9-inch rifled guns, but was pierced
1.11 its weakest parts by the new 10-inch Woolwich rifled
run.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK ON THE
IRISH CHURCH.

On Tuesday evening the annual civic banquet to the
archbishops, bishops, and clergy took place in the Egyp-
ian Hall, Mansion House, under the presidency of
the Lord Mayor. After the usual loyal and
:omplimentary toasts were disposed of, the Lord
11layor, in proposing " The House of Lords," said
lie had no hesitation in expressing his belief that on.
Ilursciay the House of Lords, by a large majority, would
teject the bill sent up for the disestablishment of the Irish
o!hurch.

In replying the ARCHBISHOP of YORK said at that
critical time he should not scruple to accept the duty
which had been imposed upon him, although in view of
approaching events it might have been well to have
Coupled the toast of the House of Lords with some one
born to that dignity and likely to remain there as long as
he lived, and to bequeath it to his sons and grandsons
fter him. But he did not scruple to acknowledge the
coast which had been proposed, as a kind of bystander in
the House of Lords, as he must necessarily be, having
-ome there some five or six years ago ; and with a debate
disestablishment looming ahead, he thought he
night venture to say that the country did not entirely
appreciate the importance of such an Institution as the
tiouse of Lords in the conduct of its affairs. (Cheers.)
although the great virtue of the House of Lords was
ilence, yet, if the company had been called upon to meet
tt that board a week later, they would have been able
point to the capacity of that House to conduct a
prolonged and great debate. (Cheers.) The Lord
Nlayor had assumed that on Thursday the House of
Beers would divide on a most important question which
was before it. He thought it would not divide then, but
would give to such a great constitutional question an
mount of grave consideration which he would venture to
say it had not received elsewhere. As to the conclusion
%t which their lordships would arrive after such
consideration, it did not become him at that
moment to speak. The chairman had alluded to
the great question, which was in the mouth of everyone,
f disestablishment and disendowment. He (the Arch-
;Jishop of York) confessed that as regarded that question
there did not lurk in his mind the smallest feeling of fear.
(Cheers.) The Church, of which he was an unworthy
member, did not stand upon a foundation laid by the
State ; and if it should happen hereafter—it would not
happen yet—that it should be disestablished and disendowed,
'here was a worse thing still that might happen ; the
remembrance of the constraining love of their great Lord
might die out of their hearts, they might cease to send
missions to the end of the earth, and they might cease to
wrestle with the evil of their own hearts. Then, indeed,
the Church of England would have been disestablished
and disendowed, because the King of Kings would have
left them.