The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-06-02

lricaced and most highly valued institution
on the continent TO appoint these officers. is
PROOF ut their necessity ard "A practical
admission, that this il department to which
.ne superintendent, from the very nature of
ms other functions, cannot be expected to
ATTEND, ana Tor which. OF course. he ought
not, on the plainest principles of common
Justice and common sense, to be responsible.
FROM TINS imposs'bility of his ATTENDING to
the details OF the fabrication of the arms. it
mas, so tar as am informed, constantly
resulted, that the Superintendent himsefis
NOT required to be an armorer. Snch. as
nave mentioned. was proven to be the case
OF Mr.. Prescott, the Superintendent a,
Springfield. Mr.. Stubbefeld, the Supcrin-
sendant OF the United States manufactory
d. harper Terry, mad no acquaintance with
tie business OF making muskets; and 50 lit
tie notion OF the general economy and 10
Ice or may so speak) OF such an institute
OH, that he came and remained with me for
4 considerable time for the purpose o. in
forming himself on those points am now
IN possession OF several of his letters, after
ms departure. in which, with that frank
ness and cantior which belong to true merit.
He acknowledges the benefits which he de.
rive from his visit. Mr. Staples. the res
pectaDie gentleman who has succeeded me
Us the experimenting of the Virginia mans.
factory, does not profess. | believe. tn hay.
the slightest Knowledge of the art of gun
making. His previous pursuits had been as
iar removed from it as had mine, or those OF
the superintendent at Springfield or Har-
pers ferry The Assembly, who appointed
thts gentleman, were apprizcd of this fact
and by their suffrage, have admitted, that n
superintendent need not be an armorcr. Let
me now ask, ii this gentleman exerts him
ser aeaiousiy and Judiciousiy, to procure the
pest materiais tor the institution, am. the
arms afterwards turn out to be deficient.
whether the Assembly can or ought to law
the censure at his door? There are anneal-
ers, whose duty and trade it is 70 temper the
iron ;-weldeiS, who by working the iron.
ought to be the best judges of its quality
ana whose interest torbids them to disguise
It's detects, because they are paid only for
those barrels which stand the proof: and
hhaliy, master armorers, chosen like the S,l-
permtendant, holding their Offices by the
same tenure, and receiving a salary, indie
pendent OF him, whose duty it is to s,nerv;se
these operations and see that tie arms are
well made. The Superintendent ought no
more TO be answerable for the faults of the
| ahheaier, welaer or armorer, than these
artists ought to be answerab!e for his faults
Apply these reflections: ! did every th;ne
which my best judgment could suggest or the
most tervent zeal could practise, to obtain
tor the Virginia manulactory a supply OF the
Purest IRON. Inc recent experiment to
"hich nave referred. evinces that my eff
forts were successful: The iron was good :.
If, in some instances, it has suffered in tne
hands CT the annealer or welder, or if the
ltanr'cation be defective, Iappeai to the can
did ana rational, if the fault is Justly hmm
table to me !! Let it not be, for moment.
supposed, that mean to shift any censure
IRON my own shoulders to those of others
As to the master armorers, believe they
did Their duty; and as to the arms them
selves, believe they will bear a comparison
win an on the continent. They arc capa-
Ole OF sustaining the various degrees oe proof
ior winch 1t was the duty of the manufac
turer to calculate them. That those FIRST
made Will not bear the proof at present u
sea, mas been already admitted and explain
GU. nut as TO the arms made since the new
proof has been adopted, they have been
compared with the French musket and tbe
BRITISH tower gun, and have been decided TO
DE equal to them in the power of resistance
ana superior to them ill other points and
inns oy gentlemen whose capacity to Judge
! is unquestioned /; who had no interest In Do
ceive; and whose characters are so firmly
established in the world, as TO require no aid
ana fear no injury from the pen of any man
L aiE'de to the committee appointed last
summer BY the Executive to re-Droye nur
arms, and OF whose report shall say more
hereafter.
| 4. but the great topic of complaint is the
vast number OF guns which burst upon the
proof, and the immense quantity of scran
iron. which is the consequence. The com
mlttee say, The nature of the service in
winch firearms are employed, requires
that they should be composed of the best
materials, particularly that the barrels and
locks should be made of fine and malleable
| iron, the best that could be procured" This
discovery, however sstute and ingenious
| was not altogether SO original on the part of
the committee, as the ditlactic solemnitv Of
'his language seems to import it has been
seen by the correspondence already publish
ed, that was fully appraised of the necessity
that the iron should be of the best and rnost
maileable quality. The committee proceed
In the opinion OF your committee. the iron
generally used at the manufactory of arms
Tor those purposes is not of that description,
enough there has been some improven,e Mt
OF late IN that particular } a great zvaste of
sHc fH6hc materials has been tie conse-
qHence. Large quantities Of iron originally
purchased at the price of good bar iron. az
Ter much money has been expended i'm draw
ing 1t into scalps, welding it into barrels and
boring and grinding the barrels, becomes bv
their bursting sCraD iron much Ice, g. -