The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-13
The Monster Wrought Iron Gun.

70 heep !ou Posled up IN matters relating to the
The Monster Wrought Iron Gun.
from the Liverpool Albion
Two months ago the successful experiments at
Fornby exploded the fallacions dogma Of the scjen
tfc world, that it was impracticabe to construct
had expended fl0 600 or fI5 900 in the ATTEMPT 10
manufacture similar piece of ordnance in the
Deighborhcod Of Manchester, ard had failed the ex
cuse for failure being thst large Of forged
iron, from long continued heating, become crystal
lied and the 6brous texture from which IL derives
its tenacity is destroyed" The Mersey Steel and
Iron Company knew this statement to be fallacious
having son years ago forged a gun u but little
less capacity for the United States government
With an amount Of spirit and patriotism which ne
fleets the highest honor on the firm, they repeated
an ufier they had previously made when the pract
cabilty o. the attempt first Ill cussed in the col
umns OF the Times, undertaking 10 construct l3-
inch wrought iron gun, coupled with proposition to
pIesent 70 The country they b. ing all the costs Of
It's manufacture OF the one condition that it should be
used against the enemy Lord Panmure did
what lie could scarcely avodhe accepted che offer,
and tuloei2ed the national spirit If The company
who had proposed so NOBLE contribution to the
effective force OF the service Cronstadt then occu.
pied conspicuous part Of the nations Thoughts.
and the country was calling for larger guns to be
brought against those granite Notifications, which
frowned opposition to our whole. navy. The gua
was made, tiled and found-as pronounce by Capt.
VaB6elew, OF the Royal gun factories, who was sent
BY the War Department to prove it-"quite ut for
service" But thee sas no longer an enemy, and
the original condition OF the gift could be com
piled With that The gun was "a day too late for
the fair" was Do fault Of the makers They had
CON mepced II during time Of war, putting upon 1t
their best w0ikr. ed, and pushing it on to speedy
compf tor-apd this to the neglect of their private
BUSH esq, which they made secondary to the national
good II should also e borne in mi d that they had
made previous offer which, if accepted, would have
enabled them to finish the gun in sufficient zine to
have iis capabilities tested at SweatOrg. and, per
chance, at Cronstadt Though the opportunity for
the GOV eminent fulfilling Their part OF the agreement
was no longer in existence the nersey See aud Iron
Company had no intent Of Withdrawing from
fulhllneIt of their promise. All they nov wanted
was that government should endorse what had been
proved to the satisfaction Of Captain Vandelsur aud
tie numerous throDg military and civil. who wit
Formby, namely, that they had been successful in
what they had undertaken. Two months passed,
and nothing more was heard of this triumph Of the
engineering art. We ourselves bad begun TO fear
that IOutlne had dug its grave and red tapery given
it secret burial. II had been removed to Shoebury
ness with the avowed object OF beng submitted TO
further tests but no reports were made, and the big
gun lived only in the thoughts Of tbe people. And
If there desire T. shelve II. to bury it, OF
to take il 10 Shoebuyness 70 rust into uselessness
where's the wonder? The monster had had an I'M
usual birth. Its midwives had not walked the
crooked PASSAGES Of Routine HOSPITAL with its
fevers and chills, and lame old men, aud
deaf old women. They had had no appoint
ment with the Barnacles-they had not even
NdIutu 10 Know, you kHOW Iney nHu nOt
paid the perqusites of official funkeyism, and
tficial hunBeyism straiglteed its back, and
would take no notice Of the creature, but would
lot il die because at is birth it had received the
mystic twists OF red tape decoration. In fact had
owed its existence to patriotism and patriotism IL
decidedly vulgar and unconstitutional, inasmrch as
II does not respect the time honored privileges Of the
BaInacles, but brushes aside all worthless lumber
and marches straight to its object.
We are glad to find, however that our fears were
premature. The omincus silence was broken, in the
House OF Commons on Thursday night by Colonel
North suggesting that Captain Vandeeur's report
should be printed, and asking wbat her Majestys
government intended To do with the gun Mr..
Peel having promised that the report should be
in progress and until they were closed he did not
know whist would he done with the gum This
seems fair enough but when it is known that no &C.
tual tests are being applied to the gun Mr.. Pesl'i
statement sinks to the level Of an eyasve answer
an awkward question.
Whatever further experiments may be adopted
we trust that the weapon, viii not he trie
d Fout,ancr-a node Of carrying out the
by government official. This would be but A
sorry return to the Messrs Horsfall for the trouble
anxiety and expense which the manufacture Of the
gun has cost them. Having given the country
weapon, which. for offence on defence, Ia acknow.
lodged to he superior to anything constructed.
Y Is Tor the country TO prize Il in toe OF peace.
that they may II In time OF the Ia ter being
contingency which may happen sooner than some
OF us anticipate. " Is an kno ~ledged axiom that
the best way 10 maintain peace is to be prepared for
war; and it s therefore obvious that time Of peace
10 the period for preparing for war We were, some
years ago. much struck by the force OF an ooserva
ton made by the Minister Of War at Berlin. Prus-
sia and Austria we're then in imminent danger Of
collision, and was proposed 70 him to introduce
now no time for the necessary trials. In times Of
peace We must prepare for war; This is similar
text to that On which Sir William +. Williams, Of
Kars, so eloquently discussed on late occasion.
II our government be really DESTROYS Of getting
rid OF the gun, We can, perhaps, help them out
Of the difficulty Our loving cousins across the
Atlantic are about to mske her MaJestys go
waited arctic ship Resolute. There Ia here famous
opportunity for her Msjesty's government TO sigra-
lise Itself BY an act Of self anegation far outrvsng
ears Of Der Majestys Ministers We know, from a
which rely, that Mr.. Steers, the builder
Of the acht America ani the new mail steamship
Adrs,lc, is constructing for the United States gov
ernrent a large floating battery, somewhat similar
to our Ian ding age to be protected by formidable
iron plates and mounted With wrought iron guns. TO
be provided by American houses. II they can make
them. Now. Il would niysbe q handsome retarn for
the Res oute II her Majestys advisers were TO pc
sent this IL inch wrought iron Gun to The Yankees,
q proof that they NEVER intend to hurt them and
uust 10 their generosity not to use II as powerful
argument against ourselves in the ultimate settle
meDt of the Central American dispute. Let there
be no 5e cscy about the matter. The guu is fairly
the nations, and ts makers, who gave 1t 10 the
nation, have no more cause 10 feel ann yea ~ TOE
nation giving IL away than trying il d Foutronct.
Or. In event OF there being anv little i'm sediments
in tie way Of adopting this course there Is our
noble ally the Emperor OF the French. He u de-
lighit5 with any improvement in the inplem OF
warfare and has made coed use OF many English
~, ei tiors vhch government have passed coldly
bv VIZ know, or instance. that an eminent Eng
II engineer, after in vain Submit ng an invenuon
% The Bit ii government proceeded TO Paris, was
q. nee introduced TO the Emperor, who immediate
" retained him 10 build works for the carrying out
his views which we believe to be Of most iupor-
,snt pature. Napoleon Ill. would appreciate the
present OF fbe gun for he seems to be fully alive to
,hr importance 81 modern improvements. The ces-
cation o hostites has not put stop to his schemes
for posse ssing formidable navy force for we bear
thai Krupp, the eminent iron and steel manufsc-
turtr Of Essen is rolling plates Of steel OF nnprece
dentcd magnitude for the protection OF the En-
re ors gunboats and noatiur batteries. These
I ties ore ten feet wide and two inches thick
or psrfssps better tban either Of the above pre-
so,,a,,nns Yoore eEeriuu 4, the Emperor OF Rus