Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-21

The IMPROVED ART OF WAR-Amonc many
arts which the conceptions of genius are con
stantly combining to perfect and develope, is
the art of war. Every succeeding generation
seems to introduce among us still more power
tul and efficient agencies for accomplishing
the destruction of our fellow men. A cor
respondent of the C,neinrdt, Gasetts, writing
from England, gives an interesting descrip-
ton of a few of the warlke engines which it
is supposed will contribute materially to the
successful termination of hostilities in the
great European struggle which i. about to
occur.
One of the most terrible of these machines,
he SAYS. is Wngner's floating gun which is
simply long congreve gun, designed 10 be
propelled along the surface Of the water IN a
straight line, on the principle of a rocket. unIl
It strikes the vessel at which II was directed,
when It thrusts into It's sides ITS IRON head, con-
tanning two pounds of Illuminating powder of
mercury. " hen the fire reaches this reservoir
the pow der eXplodcs, blowing mole ~ The
sci ten or twelve feet in dlsmc;cr-so large that
It cannot be closed up by any ordlu1ry method.
THIS Machine, slys the writer, has been iung
time NaturIng IN the Wcolwch arsen,ls, aud
Is now completed, and ready to 90 forth on It's
mission OF destruction. II can be made avail
able at a distance far beyond the reach of any
other gun, and It is thought will be Of SEW &c IN
attacking tine RUSSIAN fleets when anchored
under the unapproachabie fortrcsseo Of Stbls-
topol and Cronsladt
The correspondent OF the Ga: He aeo SAYS
that submarine boats have been so perfected
that they can attach burner to an enemy's ship
without incurrlng the least danger to those vino
manage them, Large numbers of Explosive
balls have been embarked on board the Eng
lsh fleets, OF such nature as lnvarlab v tu cA-
p!ode whenever they strike the cnenv's ship,
scattering on every side devastation, death and
flames. Experiments are also being made
with an asphyxlstlng ball, which does not XII,
but pdrdiy,eS an eI,two creD for s1reGI hours.
or until they are made prisoners.
Two small steamboats, are building, des gued
to carry each two enormous Paxhan guns
These vessels are built IN the strongest uIsl-
ner, with osken walls near SIX feet thick, cover
ed with a nattrasS fcolton one AMI halt feet
IN thickness, and this again covered with
sheeung OF iron and lead. The roof OF upper
deck is covered in the same way, Ms TO auw
the bombs of the enemy to glance INTO the sea
without damage. They are designed 10 be
bullet proof, ball proof aud bomb proof I eSo
ships are TO he sen, Mt the pro, er time INTO tie
midst Of the enemys fleet, where the! Mi a.
tack the vessels around them, fore and AT With
bombs thrown between wind and water at the
same time sprmkling them with showers Of
Greek tre. II is believed that one Of ih' So
little vessels, operated by the labors rf = few
determined men, might, under favorable clr-
cumstances, destroy an entire fleet O. ships
The English fleet Is also largely pro ided
with balloons, intended to carry lnhanmabie
materials, to scatter over towns, villages ana
fleets, when the wind favors such operations
and II is sad that another invention, whose re-
suls will be stlll more terrible than any oi the
above, but of which the construction has not
yet been made known, l. also about to be sent