The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-05-14
LOCAL MATTER9.

Sfdtc Arms and ArssHdl.-We are informed
that the Commissioners appointed under the
from n visit to the u. S. Arsenal at Frankfort
the u. 5. Armory At Springfield, the machine
shops Of Ames &c Go. At Chjcopee, and the
West Point Foundry. The Commissioner
req uired by the act to execute that portion OF
it in reference to the Armory rp,n such
plan rs the Commissioners shall propose and
he shall approve
| arms aud to ascertain the character and cost
OF the machinery necessary to man ufacture
the rified mnsket of the Army pattern. No
difficulty was found in reference to arming
the Cavalry. Ames Il Co, who mannfac ture
all the sabres used by the u. s. Government,
are willing to furnish any number that may be
required by the STATE Of Virginia. The Com
missioners accordingly purchased 600 pav-
airy sab'es, and 200 Light Artillery sabres,
which had been inspected by the U. 5. In-
| spector and found TO come up to the gov
erDment standard. These arms have arrived
in the city. 1t is intended to purchase loo
| more Cavalry sabres, and to have scabbards
made for 600 old sabres now in the Armory.
The latter weapons are Of excellent temper,
| and when shortened and scabbarded, will be
As good as Inv neh~ onuS.
The Commissioners have also determined
| to purchase 900 or 500 revolvers, of which
a portion will be Colts, and the remainder
the Dean i Adams pistol. The Deem x Adams
pistol is used in the English army, and is pre-
IerreO Dy many 10 COIt>S pistol.
At West Point aud ut the West Point
Foundry the mlAlssioasfs witnessed ex-
periments with the celebrated Arms rong
gun, one OF which had been east for the Rus
sian Government; and also with a rifled gun
invented by Capt. PARROT, of the West Point
| Foundry, and used in combination with the
Read shell. The Commissioners were SO IA
| yorablv impressed with the Parrott gun and
the nena sue.i, teat ti,ey parrpasea, ~ a cost
OF $3.50, an iron six nnder of that pattern,
hundred 4 n nhyui
the piece to Il careful test at the Military In
sttute, with view of substituting il for the
iron field pieces now owned by the State. if
the experiment Jesuit 1ayGrabiY - D
With reference 10 arMing the Infantry of
the state, much greater difficulty was ex-
perienced. The quota received from the u.
5. Government, under existing laws, is less
than 100 rifled muskets per annum and there
are about ons hundred companies Of Infantry
without arms. The general government sells
nothing but condemned arms and therefore
cannot supply the wants of the State even
if the latter were ready and willing to pur-
chase.
There is bat one private establishment in
tbs con4s:y wli:h Ilaaufaetuiss the Ilned
musket, and II an arm eq nal III quality to the
us. musket were ordered, it is doubtful whe,h-
er 1t could be procured AS soon and as cheaply
as it can be manufactured at the Armory here,
under the new organization. The Commis-
sioners soon after their appointment, having
| reason to apprehend difficulty in purchasing
M,is-atS, pfocurar fVotl tiis stale depart
ment, through fhe agency Of our Senators,
letters to our min listers at london and Paris
and addressed to them letters of enquiry con-
cerning the man fact ture and sale of arms. II
it be found that reliable muskets can be
purchased abroad, they will be ordered.
In the meanwhile, hoveveg, Ana4ng that
the only sake reiiGhce Was upon ourselves, the
Commissioners have tened the preparation
of plans for organizing the Armory, and if
they have not already done SO, will report
them TO the Governor Immediately for his ap-
proval. They have had the advantage of ad-
vices from the principal ORDNANCE omcers OF
the General TO ye; nnen and from some of the
best workmen in the government shops.
The State ArmOries at Richmond and Lex
ington, contain fifty or sixty thousand smooth
bore, fihk.lOck muskets. Many of these
muskets are worthless others are pretty good,
and II percussionei and rilied would posi-
bly, maze i toierably good arIa OF interior
grade. But under the act for the r.. orguniza-
ton of the militia, passed by the Legislature,
none but the most approved arms can be is
sued ana conseq 1ently all the old muskets are
in effect condemned.
The Governor being authorized by law to
sell condemned arms, authorised the Com
missloneiS 10 LtSpoas OK the old nIuskets In
the purchase OF arms and machinery, and they
will thus be made available in arming the
State.
The Commissioners have purchased five
hundred barrels of powder from the Dupont
powder mills. and have tine imnediata CON-
struction Of magazines en- tie State grounds
at Rich.t.ond and Lexington, upon plans fur
n pishpd NV MIR nnuont