Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-10
THE BRITISH ARMY.
Dynamite SHELLS ARD THg VALUE
OF ARTILLERY.
"a 10 Terrifying London-fhs cesiins "
SHIPS and the Rivalry In
Persia.

mads a baronet by that gentleman III
1885. The other has recently retircH
from the ROYAL Engineers with the fahA
OF lieutenant general, having seen Sc
vice in nearly every part OF the word
Curiously enough. he was to Mr.. uial
etonein mililary affairs what his na'ne-
sake is in medical matters, Inst as Oens-
rsl Sir J. j.. simmons was the cohu'
dential adviser Of the 1874 to 1881 be"-
consheld Government.
General sir 4. Clarke on MONDAY cor
roborated. in letter 10 the bonuou
Tuueq. the contradiction sent you TWO
DAYS before Of the reports that 1t was III
tended TO fortify London, the real s'alc
of the case being shown 30 be as ! re-
ported 20 son in the month OF Marcn
last. Sir 4. Clarke's letter brought our
n formal denial the next day iron INC
War Office that 1t was intended tcasK icr
any money Tor London forts. lhe re-
port has now been traced to a smsl SUB
Urban reporter who, finding thstssldlefs
Of high position had been enassoring
to reconcile on the spot the tiews oil
son,e engineer officers who d2stsd on
the merits of two positions soHttAf the
Thames Valley, jumped to the Snclu-
sion that forts were to be constructed
Immediately. sir A. Clarke shows
clearly that what hes been dof IL 10
choose positions and prepare ~ plans
for intrenched camps and to hyy9some
of the material for making them handy
TO the selected spots.
But Sir a. Clarkes letter raises very
serious question-how for retired ON
Ger is at liberty 10 PRINT information
which he obtained by virtue OF his conn.,
Dental position when employed. \ Tree
lance like mvselt uses his discretion
about what he learns, and If he some
times saws too much, Why IT IS 10 the ma
tnre Of things that he should not know
exactly where to stop. But Tor a highly
placed officer, who was but the other day
inspector-general OF Notifications, and
therefore in about the most cODiidentai
nosition a man eau holl, to come
ont directly after bis retirement
and volunteer information as TO the
plans in the mind of his depart
ment I'D 10 the time OF his leaving
Is uuite another thing and would not. II
seems 70 me, be possible anywhere but
in England. ! understand that when
the Commander in-Chief has completed
That little tour of combined business and
pleasure in the Mediterranean serious
notice will be taken Of this affair. II IS
felt that if high officers are to DO
"drawn in tins way by what might
very well be fishing" newspaper para
graphs. there would be an end to all con-
tidonce.
The rivalry between Russia and Eng
land in the East, and especially Just now
in Persia, is very much more acute than
usual. 4 few weeks ago NJ. Nlsssov was
appointed Russian COnsul-Genersl III
Khorassan. TO reside at Meshed and there
to have a body-guard OF 100 Cossacks,
by arrangement with the Persian Gov
eminent. We have promptly replied
by promoting Brigadier-General Mac
lean, Of the Eengal staff corps 10 be ON
Consul-General at the same place, Dut
whether he is 70 have 100 Bengal cayal-
ryman as body-guard does not appear.
General Mac, an has been on the from
tier for some time with underlined rank,
il definite duties, but the formal AGENT
has been an Indian Pathan named Mira
Ablas Khan. Now General Maclean,
who served in the mutiny, in China. IN
the Afghan war, and in several frontier
affairs. will represent England at one OF
the most dangerous and difficult points
with authority as well as experience.
A glance at the map will show how
Meshed hanks any possible advance on
Herat. and it would be interesting 10
know how much Indian secret-seryicC
money we are spending III this quorter OF
the globe Just at present. 1t Is evident
from private letters from Teheran thai
SIR Henry Wolf is not very careful
whether be ofends the Russians or not
and trouble may be looked for IN thu
region. But RuSslais not yet ready iorsny
further move IN this direction at present,
and when her internal communication
are completed she will need to be
watched or she viii have foot IN India
| before we know where we are.
To-dayis advertised company Tor thu
Introduction to England Of your dyna
mite and nitro gelatine. shells. say
Yours, for the United states IS entitled
10 the credit of leading in this direction
| Mr. SNYDER asks but &223, 900 for th'
rights for Great Britain aud her colonies
and for half the Continental rights, anC
he will no doubt get the money
But if all that is said about bel
/ lite. mentioned in this place some
months ago and tried on considerable
scale this last week is true, why there
will be no need for any special appli
ances to fire dynamite shells or an
special method of filling them. since, j
seems. bellite will not 30 off under an,
circumstances short OF explosion with
datonator, and then it is well TO stauC
from under, since the force developed Il
much greater than from anything ye
known.
Now, if ordinary shells can be flleC
with this stuff, as an experienced artll
lery officer VINO has passed through
practical arsenal course assures me IS th'
case. Just as they are now filled witt
powder. and that then they may b'
knocked about with impunity, or ever
heated in fire until the fuses are put IN
il is thought the need for dynamite guni
nna shells will be superseded. And
/ happen to know that steps have been al
ready taken which will lead to some ex
periments with bellite shells in q yerI
few weeks OF the most.
Yesterday a retired artillery major
general named Owen read paper at tn
United Service Institution on the valu,
OF artillery III. the field. The remark
were too general TO he OF any practi
cal value, and much doubt Was throw
on the theory held ct Woolwlcl
generally that artillery in great force
is necessity Of modern warfare
/ Officers Of undoubted authority, lik'
/ Colonel Lonsdale Hale. late engineers
and Colonel Maurice, OF the artillery
bal, they showed, no profound faith II
artillery FIRE on account of It's destruc
tiyeness. though Colonel Maurice dwol
on its moral effect on an enemy, bu
/ held this was exaggerated. These word