The new South. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1862-1867, 1863-10-17
PORT ROYAL Sc, sATURDAa, OCTOBER u, 1863. Pr

four and fv9 9m number, for snail eahbres to SIX
I'd seven for the larger; bat4)s Mr. PARRoTT Is
still experimenting. no seffssfi plan has been
arriyed at md at the pitch IS not
so sharp as is the case IN our tifed guns The
pr jectile is like the conical Asd STRONG, ard has
i, leaden. sabot and contingent least it is coated
and basea with some soft metal
ssIn this journal the attenttA of the Govern
mant a5}k6rities has been called again and again
to the koAT and DAHLGREs guns. The Amer
leans 6n5z Astrueted cannon, of calibres which
to us &fa mown only as of theoretical and proba-
BILE attai3@Bnt, and they have armed bate les
hundfe6 miles from theft arsenals with the
most pq ul guns ever used IN war, which have
been cdl by sea and in stermy waters to the
enemy's Shores. Before such projectiles as these
guns carry, the preaching of masonry, whether OF
hriek OF stone, is but ~ qtetion of short time.
And in face of these facts we are obligedto record
that our scientific officers are sf opinions that our
sbest gun for preaching purposes is the old 6S-
pounder!' Why, we know what that can do!
We know that at $500 yards its fire wou,d be
about as effectual as that of Mons. MEG. These
trials at 200 yards are perfectly fatuous, if no
other results than these, or such as these, be
gained by them. It is of no Use saying Sumter
was of brick; it was at least as good wofkas most
of our existing Notifications, and infinitely less
easy 'to splinter up than awork of granite or
rubble masonry. In substaneeit resempled very
much our martello towers ON the beach BIT Hythe.
Have we any gun which could breach one ofthese
at 8, 500 yards2 Do, pray geElemen efsss Ord
nance Committee, bestlr yourselves, and get US
gun with results. Let Mr. WH1TwoRTH or Sir
WILLIAM, Captain PALLIsER, Captain BLAKELEY,
Mr.. BAsHLEY BRITTEN, Mr. THOMAS, any one, give
us gun as good and as cheap as the PARRoTT to
begin with, and then we can rest content while
you are going on with your experiments. One
thing is certain-that any forts which may be
assailed by such artillery as the Americans have
employed at Sumter must be faced with iron
plates. We are yet in doubt as to the mode In
which stone works can be coated with iron but
it is obvious that mere masonry will not stand
unprotected against the heaviest order Of rihed
pr0ectiles. Do not let us pooh-pooh the Ameri-
cans If we are WISE it is the last thing We ought
to do. Our artillerists think they are wrong in
the matter of the DAHLGREN guns for preaching
purposes they may be, but unquestionably the
Admiralty would be rather nervous about the
result of fring 450-fb. shot against the side Of
the Warrior, at the distance of 200 yards, not
withstanding the experiments, which seemed to
indicate that large shot with comparatively low
charges of powder were inefficient The authori-
ties have had no experience of the effect of such
shot as the DaHLGBENs propel They have not
got the guns to discharge them. When next the
Ordnance officers and gentlemen meet, let them
apply their minds to the little experiments the
Americans have been making for their benefit at
Sumter.