NEW ZEALAND.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4519, 17 October 1887, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND.

(By Telegraph. ) WELLINGTON, Oct. 15, A party of visitors accompanied by Sir George Whitmore, Colonel Bailey, Captain Messenger; and other military gentlemen, went down the harbour, to fort Ballance yesterday afternoon to witness some experiments with torpedoes and mines. Two Whitehead torpedoes were fixed between buoys representing the line of advance of a supposed enemy. The direction was accurate, but one of the missiles could not bo found again for a long time. The other floated up at once. After that four mines wore laid and fired with complete success. The visitors inspected the

fort, which is now finished, except the clearing away of some earth outside the palisades. The fort is armed with two 7-h eh muzzle loaders, a six-inch breech-loading Armstrong mounted on a disappearing carriage, and two six-pounder quick-firing Nordenfeldts. Everything is in readiness to go into action to-morrow if necessary. Work on Fort Halswell, nearer Wellington, is not so advanced. Au eight-inch Armstrong is to be mounted there in addition to other guns. There is also a powerful search light at fort Ballance, and all the stores ani electric apparatus necessary for a system of floating and contact mines. The submarine armament of the colony has so far cost about £20,000.