ARMS AND SHIPS' ARMOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 155, 12 May 1864, Page 4

ARMS AND SHIPS' ARMOUR.

(I r-m t!i«: I/mhS<-ii •• Kxiciiuiit.'j Such a book an I!nit ot >ir •). hmerxni 'I enneiit on the \ :i.-l subject ol shots, shells, eharges ol powder. ;nis lubricated ;»Ini drv, lirowu lie.-.-, tin' bores ol riUi s small ami large, tin' .lMilir.it, the Whiiworth; ol itxi caiii)i\ s ami t heir carnages : not omit t a wont m m'iimhi <ut some ol their uhm arriages ; as . well as observations upon inm-pinicd ships ; was needed at the jn*» t moment. it oniy to dispel some of the j ic.-t Uent notion:. 11 lilt \i'i ir beginning to stcai ; over us. iNoini" uciv ucginnmg to doubt whether t here had iiot arisen a in igh! \ [unvcr, 11 u- ivpre.M ni.iinc ol'u iucii ha(( founded a new dv nasi \ ol hnvuiian gunmakers within these rcaiius. :md had I• \ his astonishing talent cnatcd the ne.c>-ily 1««r a close monopoly w 11h ii. inr tin.' t m*>!•*."• I of l In present rat e am; the of po-ieni \. was to or m;'»ulained a.- the < \t iusuc pnv iieuie ol one great man. We mm not hndtiud >:r Kim rson . nlerlain- I ht sc opm.oiis ; on l lie rout» ar\, la- i.- manifest i v «•! a .illicit nl way oi tiillikl'ig. and con-i.lers liiai ll.euu're I lie lita tutv.- ol I lie roiint r\ are thrown open to the iitiit\ ol a) i -< 'on icrs, liie more pcitect i.- 11 io product i i.d then* i olu j iet 11 »< in iiiveiV io become. Tnc beoU, a> we !ia\e seen, begins with a history of l<rown lie.-.-, ami tiie anlltor pica-antly point.- out how loiiii hi-t i harms had reigned t riumphan! o\cl* l he Lea; I s of the liiili.dl armv. Jndccd, i ne uric nt 1-t> oi 'i ni >ur\ I* ort in the ua \ s of our lair aud iv-ai i»ess, prolcclcd In rami her tori with tin* Mcnluai lirowu iJess, wlncii a 11 erw an Is assert et 1 her power at Kauitliies, ,\I nlpiaceiiet, JUcnheiin, on the ' heights ol A brahaui. at Maden-hui'Lh ami the diking i oi \» a-iiiuiiltui, ami smiled on Wellington Iroai ■ A v to W at crioo. iucn 1 bat eminent war ( 11 ri>l ia n, ; the l>i.-hop ol Labium. wnn iVrr\ s lu\ acii-ioatler, : hai\;U « omcs up to the e.\c«dcul pra-li-e which iMtnei iJeioe Hirsts upon li that l.obmsou I rn>oe ■ nia< ic with l»i*ow n i le.» ait he cautuhal> who inl nnleil | t.(.i 11 i privae\. I »e tins as u iniu, I iiere an; iu'\v ' 'prouueett lor u- >ome womh riui taha sol* prat'lice oi ; t hi-wea]'<ni. tiie rule of which >ccms to he that it ; ni'ver hv any chance hits what it ina\ i»e aimed at ; : and a (ioubl is iia/anled whetin-ra hody of ei'o-s----bowmen would iu>l he nn nv iie>t ruci i \ e t ban a hoiiv oi' iu*t»wn I u-.v in en. 'iiie I'ivneh and other Imm*opean nations hud worse mu>ket>. lucl.ii\. with weak ioeKs and ]»owder (.»! the \ile>t di'-eiiptitui ; consequently we were better armed l han our opponent.*., il wii ? hy t he French, however, tnai we were hist enlightened upon mi.all arms ; and as in 1111s country it is, ami aiway.- ha> liiru, eon>idered to lsavean original jiiilitiiry idea, so I'rom the i'Veueh we J<orroWed ihe I 'jo \liai;> u jjud liie Mime ruled mu>ket. .1 he .Amcrhau* then taught- u> that a pi.-ud willeii could lire m\. Mieces>i\e >hols* was ( a more lurmidable wcjipou than a pi.-loi which t-ould : lire only one >hot al il l.ine. W iun tiie minds of our \\ ill* A ulboi'it ic.- wci' t r just recovering IVoai il ! piiiuiui t eii>a)U of iiitclli-cl, tin- coiiMMpieitce oi eii- | ti Inore than one nlca al the time, that hu.-v ! and clewi* i'rinrc, the kmperor of the i remh. in- ; Vented a rilled lieid-picce, with which he incoiitincuti\ dueled tin- while |iirk els ol tin! >tt»lid Austrian.-, from a di.-tauce t hi Ji >• arceiy believed [io.-»i-hle. .Sidlenno changed ihe a.-n.an.ent of the whole World, iimi thai change i.~ due io the talent of Napo- . Icon tia' i hud. Aiter l.uii'jic inn. ineu »•» iin[nen'l v armed wiih rmcd -ii-at and tia- ilaiiaiis had n.-iiionly m id-pic. i i n; j;im> n| Ibal doenpU"i, ; a;u-r tin- unu n aii il l< -.-i_»n lo 1 he ! wuli rnii >: or.ii.aact', ami Jim ner, pain, and I'tniu-al iui-i arm. d tueir r. >peelive uav «e> Willi j tho.-' weiipous, li. -an lo tluuk tiiere ini«rht j h.' .-oinet hi in u ; a.;d S r iMuci .-ou iiuuenl taKes , up lus r-ucciuci and >'liar ni.-io/v of uioiiern nllr-, | j u-i as our \\ ar A ui horn ic? inui run the i on n try up : a hill ol nearly thri-e lniliious, ami coliterred the honour ul hot.d on Sir W iihani ArinMrong for tailing on one point or another in all he attempted. Hie hook lays '.he whole a"ei>unt of the Mrauu;e conduct oi' our lwecuti\e heloru tiie public without di\iwin<; (icdiiciion.s fioiu ihc fiicts. iiut tluiMMltduftions arc tcll'-uvidciii that, iis silenct; \a pcrlcctly eloquent. fcjir Kmerson Tenent is not. ;»t nil blind to the emiacie,i.djlio quu-li'ies of Sir Willinjij ArmetroDf: <

he mnlres t"he*n known to the noral public so fully j nail jrenerously, that the Knight of 'Elswiek's general 1 reputation will be raised rather than lowered by this 1 puhlnation of plain facts, lint at the same time it J hv no means ajjpears that his power of itiakintr black 1 appear white on paper, probably engendered by ati * earlv aeauiuntum-e with the law, should put him ) beyond competition wit)i many of whom have J b.-en more immediately connected with the working of hnrd mnia 1. these referred to in the story 1 of the Linns are AVliitwortii ami Bhikcly. As ivtiards AVliitvvortli, we are ahaost iaelined to think that the juithor has vieldetl hn?is ,, lf too completely to llu iatluemv of a natural admiration for that engineer's \ ( undoubted talent. There is no doubt that the Whit- i worth rille. sncak : of small arms, asl'arr.i trajectory j power and precision are required, deserves all eulogy bestowed upon it ; hut something more is re-ptired of a weapon before it can be adjudged the best for i general use of an army, and we must say that the small boie of t he Wliit wort h rille, its liability to : its ivealcilrant powers, and on a continued lire ils 1 liability to l!y to pieces, in imr opinion are such ? objections as lead us to prefer the Kntield a- the ' ne>re useful thoiarh Jes- accurate weapon of the two. "We mast diih-r in this point from Sir lanerson 1 Tcnnent, and aijree with the n.jiorr of the Ordnance Select Committf-e of ISO- on the system of rilling for ' small arms. The Committee .speak thus ia their excecdiia:lv able rcpurt on the Whaworth rille: *• theivdueed bore has sliown a .-uperiority ia precision over the larye ealibre (the Jj!niield). yet ihe wear that takes place in the pereussionnur i- so iiieon-iderahle that the rille in a very short time becomes unserviceable. In the course ol thecs experiments, and before 500 rounds had been lired trom any one of the small-bore rilies, eleven hammers had been broken by the force of the i;as escaping tiiroii'd' the nipples."' The ( Ynnmittee objected likewise to the Whit worth cartridge, and also remar:that ever\ Wbitwiaih ride acini; ilearer t!;a.t t.ie 1-adlcld by Jiflccn and t!ie w- a r and tear ami breakage so much greater, liie expense jormed matter ot' eonsi lei-ation. The Committee con>e'|uently. could no* advise general adoption of 1 he U iii: w..rih. ail it.- partial adoption ft a* ee ia ai a lace who v. ere e \ pert uiarksjinia mi.iid be e\in' i . '' •;' report i>\ this Committee wa- ])!•'! t -d I>s ilou-e (/f I'oiiiia-jii.N on ;lt«t molioii t»f Mr. kinnaird. for oar.-clv«s we entertain a \erv strong opi»dou lhat very iine and close shooting, at di-tidice-, in the army is ol doubtful value. U hv'U we sire tiie preposterous |)ain.meu lake in shoot :a;: lor prizes, refusing after the manner of j»rcat singers to speak above a whi-per, j wrapping them-elve-T uji when cold, denuding tiiemI selvtrs of garments when warm, putting their elbows ; and handsiato cold water or eau d*.- (.ologne to steatly tiieir iiej viand then retlnet that tie-' gentle'man und'-r this treatment might, in a stricken tield, he ca i led upon to d« liver a siiot alter running half a mile, stumbling ««ver the d'-ad bodies of his comrades, and with hi- nerves unstrung by —we would not for the world insinuate a le.-s noble emotion, —why it seems tons that a man so cireuinsiattced would not pay ver\* aceiyate attention to his sights, but blaze uwav as b.-.-t he might. As regains great gun.-, between the only two permitted eompetilors Armstrong and Wltitworth, liie narrator of their .-.lory evidently leans to tlie latter and gives Mr. "Wnitwoith the credit of being the tir-t to penetrate the 1 Warrior' ! target with a ilal-le-aded shot ; but we do not nbsei vc i that Sir Kmersnn refers i«» the tact that the tlat-headed | .shot is no men- the inv. nti->n of Whitw-uth than the ; coil sv.-teiu is the invention of Armstrong. Sir ; Mtnerson points out that Captain I'dakely asked per- | tui.-sion at his own fsjn'iiM- lo bring a pi' ''ft <t j oplnaiico into tin- lit.-ltl Wliil- • wtirlh, but met with a reiu.-al, whieh aj'pears as hard jb» explain a- it is objectionable. (,'apiain l#lakely ! lia-always'ieiiie.l that any engineer could buildup i side- of any sea-going sinp strongly enough to keep : out shot or -hell lm;n gmts whieii ja.' can construct, j and iias < <m>ti ncied. (.aj'taiu Jilakely is not inclined i to ]iilt laith ill the shape of shot or .-hell, but believes ' than a nun 1 adit «»f such strengtJi as will carry a huge ; ehaiii'e ot [»owaii-r witli satety, is all that is teipusite, j ami that opMiion a]ij,rai> to bo iiainini; groiui'l. aif •iitain axioms on whicli fSir Kuiursoii : Teuncut icjies, and wha'ii ate i[U<ited liy lam wita ' advantage. While we attendi d alter he was dead to I the adviee id" the 1 JuUe oi' Wi-11111gtoii, whieh we had : neglected while he was yet living, and proceeded to | put our country into some sort ol delensive position, the eohscipa ace of whieh was the springing up of car Volant, er force; we neglected the great J'T ld Marshal's wise advice never to adopt any .siippo.-eil . improvement in our national armament which was : not completely perfected. Three millions wasted on ■ Sir William Armstrong's crude designs, not one ot j which is yet periecled, is the line that has been paid j i by us for .-lighting this adviee. i * Ti.e oi'ser vat ions made by Sir .1. Kmerson Tcnnent 1 up.»n .trmoni-clad .-hip- appear t«> us to be generally ! juda-iou.s. i .id we earned at pre-t iij make further | observation on that partoi lae subject. \\ e would, j ; however, gi neiailv i« mark tiiat no oijstructiou wiiich ; i it mav be possible to laap upon a sea-worlhy, sea- ■ I going shi]. can withstami the ordnance, either pre- | I paled or piejiaiing against il. Monster guns may j i:e eitlploveu lolis, hat Jloju tile evidence befole | us we luliy hi iieve tii.d rilled guns, not more weighty ! taan our n.-cle. - tkS-jioundeis, may lie tound to go to i sea ill our -hips, and peilorate the armour-plated j ol miV iioside nation inntuxt- (hrij c<m jjctjufo/t ! <,nn. At pre.-, in we iiave no Mich guns in our . navv. We eannol umh'r.-tand any idle assertion ; having weight with ihe public, that war areoni.pial ! terms witn tin- Ameiaan-, because we have guns i with as meat trajic'orv power. \\ itness tiie Arm- ' suoiig 1 10-poundei gun which may carry a shot live | miles, I.at ■ .11111ot pejtetr.de an iron-plated tai'get at ! _• io \ aid-. It is hot Ir; iei tory power l>ai j encirativ,. , elce that we roust find and bt idg Ulia olir s'l'Vuc.