The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-30 00:00:00

THE "F.RASER" GUN.

The Pall 16all Gazelle says: The failure which took
place at Woolwich on Friday last of a 9-inch 12-ton
Woolwich gun of the " Fraser," or latest construction,
is a matter which ought to receive the gravest attention.
The issue is not wrapped up in the question whether
the steel tube was flawed or not, or whether a hundred
guns or so of that pattern have previously passed proof
satisfactorily. We have very little doubt that theflawed steel
tube was the proximate cause of failure ; but how about the
explosive character of the burst ? The gun burst as badly
as any cast-iron gun could do ; and we have always been
led to believe that the one conspicuous merit of the Wool-
wich guns is that they are not liable to burst explosively.
Hitherto, with few exceptions, their bursting, when it has
occurred has been of a harmless nature; a mere giving
way or opening of the structure. But here is a real burst
of a very alarming character. We trust that a careful
inquiry will be instituted as to the cause of
this behaviour of a Woolwich gun. Can it be
traced to any abnormal circumstances, and satis-
factorily explained ? We sincerely hope that it can, and
that it cannot be guaranteed against for the future. But
if it cannot, the question will arise whether the particular
construction is in fault ; or whether we must make up
our minds that wrought•iron guns are, after all, not
so- very much better than their neighbours in this
respect. Even supposing this to be established, there
will, it is true, still remain to the wrought-iron guns one
great advantage, viz., that they do not give way without
warning. In this case no warning could be givell, as the
gun went at the first proof round ; but of course on service
we should have a different condition of things. The argu-
ment that a large number of these guns have passed proof
satisfactorily, and that many of them have since fired 500
and GOO rounds would be somewhat to the purpose if
we could only get rid of the recollection of the fact that
this argument, when advanced on behalf of other guns,
has generally been met with, " Ah, yes ! that's one of the
bad features of the system, its uncertainty. You may
fire 2,000 rounds from one of the guns without acci-
dent; and at the 2,0015 t round it would fail you."
Therefore, we find little consolation in the fact
that several guns of this construction have
before stood the proof well. What we want to
be satisfied about is : Are the Woolwich guns, or are they
not, liable to burst explosively? or is this accident quite
exceptional and due to exceptional causes? At any rate,
it is important that the subject should be exhaustively
investigated, and that we should thoroughly understand
the position.

Dean Close, of Carlisle, has just returned froida
holiday of some months, and has evidently come back pre-
pared to defend tha Irish Church with increased vigour. 11e
preached on Sunday, in Carlisle Cathedral, and, defending
established churches generally, went so far as to say that a
nation without such an institution was a nation without

An application Las been made to Mr. Burcham,
at the Southwark Police-court, for an order for the destruc-
tion of a cargo of 'often potatoes about to be distributed
among the costermongors. Having examined a cart load as
a sample, the magistrate immediately gave the order, re-
marking that the inspector has perhaps arrested a frightful
disease.

A telegram from Jerusalem announces that the re-
construction of the great cupola of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, which has been executed under the auspices of
France, Russia, and Turkey, is entirely finished. The de-
corative part even is on the point of completion, and the
demolition of the temporary roofing has commenced. The
removal of the woodwork, &c., henceforth useless, will take
place before the end of the month.

An addition has been made to the number of
women who have succeeded in passing the ordeal of the Re-
vision Courts. In the Ormskirk district, seven duly qualified
"persons" of the female sex were put upon the list. They
were objected to, but- the objections were pronounced in-
formal. The Court, therefore, decided that it had no power
to strike off the names. The case will be taken into the
superior courts.

Messrs. Wintersheim .aud Co., of Paris, who have
just taken the contract for printing the ifoniteur, have
ordered five of Marinoni's new printing machines, which
will be used for this purpose. These machines aro more
simple in construction than the machines in general use in
England, and are used in France for papers of the largest
circulation. Every afternoon 280,000 copies of Le Petit
Journal, a halfpenny newspaper, established at Paris, are
printed by these machines.

The revising barrister at Tynemouth has adopted
a view of the law which will result in an extensive dis-
franchisment of the small tenants. His decision has
some relation to the Cabe decided a short time ago,
and known as the Sunderland rating case. Tho overseer
had put upon the register the tenants of houses let off
in flats, and while giving the privilege of the franchise,
of course made them liable to the payment of rates.
This course was declared to be illegal. It was decided that
the landlords ought to be rated, and that the tenants were,
therefor e, improperly on the register. This decision, it was
announced, would disfranchise 2,000 claimants in Tynemouth
alone.

A MIN GORED BY A BUFFALO. —An accident,
which it is feared will prove fatal, has occured at the Zoo-
logical Gardens, Phoenix Park, Dublin. It appears that
one of the caretakers, named Mullins, was employed in
the cage in which the buffaloes are kept, when one of them
suddenly turned on him, gored him severely in the thigh,
and otherwise injured him. The animals had hitherto
been considered harmless. The caretaker was able to walk
home after the occurrence, but he has since had a succession
of epileptic fits. The unfortunate man is at present under
medical treatment, and is scarcely expected to recover.

A YEAR'S WILLS.—In the year 1867, in which
471,102 persons died in England and Wales (probably half
of them minors, and about half the others women) 37,497
probates of wills or grants of letters of administration were
issued, 14,623 in London, and 22,874 in the English and
Welsh provincial registries. The number is, of course,
ever increasing. The increase in 1867 over 1866 was only
285, but 1867 was a year of lower mortality than 1866. The
personal property of these 37,497 deceased persons was
sworn under £92,302,570—viz., £54,111,975 in the cases
disposed of in the London Court of Probate, or registry,
and £38,190,595 in the cases in the country registries. In
the year 1866 the property happened to be rather larger,
reaching £93,184,794. The sums under which the pro-
perty was sworn in 1807 were equal to £196 for every
death in the year, reckoning the deaths of men, women,
and children.

SUICIDE BY MISTAKE. —Mr. Coroner Heath held
an inquest at Mansfield, Notts, on Monday, touching the
death of Mr. John Greenwood Walker, shopkeeper, of
that town. The evidence went to shew that latterly the
deceased had lived uncomfortably at home, partly, it
seemed, in consequence of his mother and sister, who
were opposed to his marriage. On Thursday be deceased,
his wife, and mother, had some words, and on Saturday
morning when he came downstairs he appeared depressed,
and after being absent in the yard a few minutes he
returned to the house. His breath smelling of laudanum,
Ms wife accused him of having taken some. He said, "Oh,
no more than a quarter of an ounce, just to kill the pain
in my head." During the day, however, the deceased
grew worse, and died the same evening. The jury found
the following verdict :—" That deceased died from mis-
adventure, to wit, from the effects of laudanum, taken
with the intent of frightening his mother, sister, and wife,
so as to produce a better state of feeling at hon4e, and not
with the intent of taking away his life.';