The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-22 00:00:00

EXPERIMENTS in the MARSHES

WOOLWICH, MAY 21.—Major-General Lacy, Di-
rector-General of Artillery; Colonel Campbell, Su-
perintendent of the Royal Military Repository; Col.
Dwidas, C. 8., Inspector of Artillery; Colonel Crut-
teudea, Inspector of Drills ; and Lieutenant-Colonel
Chalmers, Assistant-Director-General of Artillery,
tre-mbers of the select committee; Lieutenant-Colonel
Bell, Royal Horse Artillery ; Lieutenant-Colonel
Pester, hire-Master; Major Dupuis, Major Askwith,
Captain Wodehouse, Captain Elliot, Captain and Ad-
want Burrows, Royal Artillery; and Captain An-
derson, Instructor at the Royal Military Repository,
assembled in the Marshes at 2 o'clock P.M., to witness
experiments with the common service fuses, on a plan
submitted by Captain Boxer, who was also present.
Major Cavalli, of the Sardinian service, who has sub-
initied several large pieces of ordnance for loading
at the breach, accompanied Colonel Dundas to the
Marshes. The firing of Captain Boxer's fuses took
place from one 24-pounder and one 32. pounder gun,
at 900 yards range, and from one 8-inch gun, at 1,150
yards. Six rounds were fired from the 24-pounder, six
rounds from the 32-pounder, and five roundsfromthe
a-inch gun. The mode hitherto adopted in firing the
common service fuses was to calculate the distance of
the range or object to be fired at, and saw off the
length of the fuse which exceeded what would be re-
quisite to explode the shell at the required distance.
Uaptain Boxer, to obviate the inconvenience which is
experienced in actual warfare, when having to saw off
the fuse, which sometimes cracks the composition and
causes the shell to bUrst before it reaches its destina-
tion, suggeSted a plan of boring a small hole in the
fuse et the required length, which is ascertained with
the greatest nicety and at a moment's' notice by a
scale of inches and eighths of an inch, cut withastamp
on the fuse, and the whole of the operation is so simple
that the most inexperienced can perform the operation
after once seeing it done. The firing to ,day was ex-
cellent, and the bursting of the five 8-inch shells was
admirable, and just at the moment they struck the
bulkhead, at a distance of 1,160 yards from the gun.
In trying the 24 pounder and 32-pounder three of
the shells did not explode, but in no instance was there
any apprehension of their bursting at the mouth of
the gun, or liability in their flight to burst prema-
turely and be liable to kill friends as well as foes. The
fuses are also perfectly safe and free from danger to
those using them.

--- --'
THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY
AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.
(From the Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette.)
Benjamin Bramble, Eaq., the hospitable Mayor of
this borough, entertained the town-council and the
officers of the corporation at the George. Among the
guests were
The Vicar—the Rev. J. P. M‘Ghie, who sat as his
Worship's chaplain.
Magistrates—Alderman jones, Major Travers,
Captain Sayer, Mr. grant, Mr. Gillman, and A1der-
,,,,,) Scale. Alderman Orange. Councillors—Owen,
stigant, Capt. Sadler, R.N., Levy, Solomon, Erna-
nue,
, , Ford, G. Sheppard, Galt, Gauntlett, Burt,
Burrell- Trimboy, H. J. Hogg, Miall, Horsey, Smith,
Cox, rn
-woods, Taplin, Nance, Damer, Childs
Horner, •
Jolliffe, Bilton, Davey, White, Galaworthy,
Givander, Ander.on • and Ross. Superintendent of
,
George Bramble,
l'olice—Mr. Leggatt. Guests—
Mr. Wood, &c.
The following were
E‘
q"" the toasts : • . i _
(National Anthem
.i The Queen,"
By the Ma.Twa—
Prince Albert, the Prince of
by the company) ; ~P
Wales, !Family ;" the" Bishop
restof theßoe a
Rev. J
Wales, and the !edged by the
of the Diocese," acknowledged J. P.
31.1‘Ghie.
......" The ...Jay° •
it r " (Several
By Major TRAVERS b k
ship returned t an s.
rounds of cheers.) His ~ ver or
By the Mairoa—,. Admiral Sir Bidden Capel and
the Navy." (Three times three.) Captain SADLER,
R.N., returned thanks. -
"
" Lore Frederick Fitzclarence and the Army.
(Niue times nine.) Major TRAVERS acknowledged
the toast.
" The Members for the county." (Three times
three.) Mr. Sreakeio acknowledged the toast.
• ~ The Members for the Borough." (Three cheers.)
Mr. Councillor LEVY, in acknowledging the toastr
said he did not know why be was called upon to re-
spond to it ; for he could not say anything in their
favoar !—(Cheers.) Though he had always sup-
- port,Ai 'Sir Fraucis Baring and Sir George Staunton,
he (dr. Levy) was bound to say that they had not
C3-crit-ti out their promises, or performed their duty, to
the borough.—(lleir, hear.). Sir Francis Baring had,
thrown a heavy expense on the ratepayers, by first
sending a large number of nien here to work, and
then discharghig them, by which the guardians of the
poor had been compelled to considerably in6rease the
poor-rates for their maintenance. 'lndeed, the inte-
rests of tha borough had laden disregarded in every
• way by Sir Francis, though he (Mr. Levy) was very ,
. sorry tn, say ite.--(Cheers.) In Sir George •Staunton
they had a representative not in any way more faith-
ful to bis d uty as a Member of Parliament.—(Hear,
hear.) 11,e (Mr. Levy) would ask, " Where was Sir
George wb en .the,question of the window-tax was be-
fore the II louse ?'•'—(Cheers.) He (Mr. Levy) had
always s pckported both -Members, - and he, therefore,