The Exhibition at Chelsea

Evening Star, Issue 8769, 9 March 1892, Page 4

The Exhibition at Chelsea

The Military Exhibition of 1890 has been followed, during the present year, by the National Naval Exhibition, which has been held, like its predeoessor, in the grounds of tbo Chelsea Hospital, on the banks of the Thames, and has been crowded, day after day, throughout the eummer and autumn, by a multitude of visitors. A well-nuaning person remarked lately that he thougltsuch a sight ought not to be inspected by the friends of peace; but this sentiment, if indicating a soft heart, was not very creditable to the speaker'a intelligence. Fcr it is positively desirable that the advocites of peace should avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by such an unusual Exhibition to visit it, and thus dcrne impressions of the awful character of raodern warfare, which they can scarcely receive in so striking a manner anywhere elst, A special feature of this spectacle consists in its display of large and accurate models of the leviathan battle ships of the British Empire, together with actual Epecimena of many of the most terrific engines of slaughter. No mere description can convey, like tuoh an Exhibition, to the mind of the philanthropist, or the peace advocate, an adequate sense of the development of the fearful appliances of scientific warfare. These models and weapons aro the indications of great facts in the history of our country and of Europe—facta which have to be dealt with and taken ioto account by Englishmen, however unpleasant the consideration may be.

It is not the mark of a wise man to remain wilfully ignorant of the knowledge of theso remarkable developments of national force, however regrettable such may be. And to imitate the ostrich, which buries its head in the sand when it wishes to elude the view of objects of dread, is not a policy which prudence commends to the man of sound judgment, in the special department of the promotion of international concord. On the contrary, everyone who has the opportunity of doing so should visit the Naval Exhibition in the interests of peace, and should mark, i_«..„, uua lunaiaij a: fi „ct the instruction which it is so well calculated to convey. Amongst the British weapons on view may be observed the 67-ton gun, twelve yards in length, each discharge of which consumes 6301b of gunpowder. Then there are the models of two ships of war, bearing in succession the same name ; that of the Royal Sovereign, the first, constructed in 1786, cost LICO.OOO, whilst its namesake, built in 1891, cost ten times as much, or a million of money, The comparison of the Itrgest gun of eich of these two ships is instructive. That of the first Sovereign weighed 5,8241b, but that of the modern ship weighs 154,5601b. The projectile of the first weighed only 321b, but that of the latter weighs 1,2501b. One of the most astonishing things in the Exhibition is a fac simile of the amount of metal, wood, and masonry penetrated by one of the vast shots from the 110 ton gun. This projectile first pierced 2ft of solid steel armor; it then passed through 2Sft of hard oak timber, then through sft of granite, then through lift of concrete, and still its force was not nearly spent in overcoming the resistance of these tremendous obstacles, for it finally penetrated through another 6ft of brickwork. Altogether it pierced through 44ft of these very hard and solid materials ! What awful destruction, therefore, such an impact is calculated to effect when direoted against a town or a large ship of var. Amongst the other hideouß types of weapon are the great torpedoes for exploding under water, and so destroying ships and their crews. Then there are the large shells, containing 2,330 bullets, all to bo scattered at one explosion, together with Armstrong guns, Hotchkiss guns, Maxim-flordenfelt guns, and the comparatively small but deadly "Rifle Calibre Automatic Machine Gun," which discharges 650 shots per minute. Amongst the ammunition are samples of gunpowder, the single "grains" of which are as large as tonnis balls, The modelß of battle ships inolude one of the huge Ramelies, carryirg four 67-tou guns, and twenty-five other guns. This ship has armor-plate ISin thick, and its speed is 17i knots per hour, with 13,000 horse power.

Amongst the multitude of relics exhibited ia the bullet which killed Nelson at Trafalgar, together with his clothes stained with his blood. But more interesting, in some respects, are the relics of the brave Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated companions who perished with him in their unsuccessful attempt at .Arctic discovery. These include a Bible and a Prayer Book found in the ice. On one of the Franklin mementoes are inscribed the significant lines: Humanely glorious men will weep for him Wood many a guilty martial fame is dim. More pleasing objects, also, than the battle ships and weapons, are the reproductions, in actual size, of the Eddystone Lighthouse, the specimens of life-boats and life-saving apparatus, and the splendid models of the magnificent mail steamers of the Peninsular and Oriental and the Royal Mail Packet Companies. The combined effeot of the various objects displayed at this Exhibition tends to convey an impression of wonder at the vast amount of money and skill annually devoted to the maintenance of these costly and colossal armaments. What a multitude, too, of brave men and youths are represented as employed in the navy, and so withdrawn from the peaceful pursuits of civic life! Then comes the consideration that this Exhibition also represents one out of the many nat : onal navies, and even all these together, as considered separately from the huge armieß of Christendom, form but a minor portion of the almost inconceivable resources of the destructive power of modern empires.

If the very night of these appliances of warfare is so impressive during peace, how terrible must be the scenes of their actual use for the dread purposes for whioh they are so skilfully designedl The visitor may well recall the lines from Longfellow's * Arsenal at Springfield' :

Ah I what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary, When the death angel touohes those swift keys I What loud lament ani dismal miserere Will mingle with their awful symphonies 1

The contemplation of such colossal engines of destruction oan hardly fail to arouse In every thoughtful mind some earnest reflections on the evils of war, and to deepen a sense of personal duty in regard to the promulgation of pacific principles.—' Herald of Peace.* r