English Trials Of Rifled Guns

Prora the Cincinnati Gazette. In connectiou with tbe information aoquired by tho Charleston " reeonnoissanoe," the account of soine trials of guns and iron platos in Eugland is pertinent. The account is coutaiued in the London Times, of March 10. The shots were made at the short range of 200 yards, for the purpose of comparison with the 28poundcr .suioothbore at its best range, whilo tho artillerists contended thñt the range for testing rifled guns should not be loss than 1,000 yards, at which distance the smoothbore shot would lose half their foree, while the rifled projectiles would bo flying at thoir full Ímpetus. The firing was at 5 1-2, 0 1-2 and 7 1-2-inch plates. The 68-pounders made an indentatiou of from 2 1-2 to 3 iuches in depth, but no disturbance was visible on the inside. An Armstrong 300pounder rifled gun was fired with a coiiical steel shot of 296 lbs. weight. Tho missile struck the 7 1-2 inch plate, and puuched a hole quito through, bending the whole plate, and breaking the raassive wrought iron girder back of the plato. The guu was next loaded with a cast iron shell weighing 286 lbs., and charged with 11 lbs. of powder, and fired as before with a charge of 46 lbs. of powder. It struck in the centre of the 5 1-2 inch plate, went througb, leaving a rough round hole about ten incnos in diameter, aud then burst in the inside, blowing the heavy oak backing aud the inner iron skin to shrods. Then a Wliitworth 150-pounder riflod gun was flred with 25 Ibs. powder, a steel flat-beaded shell of 151 pounds weigbt and a bursting charge of 6 pounds - The shell went through the same plate and burst on tho inside. "Mr. Lynall Thomas next fired his rifled gun with a steel shot of 330 pounds and 50 pounds of powder. The shot struck the 7 1-2inch plate and made a broken indentation to the depth of 10 1-2 inches. Othor shots were made but these show their character. The rebels are said to have some of the Wlutworth guns at Charleston. These guns aro all of wrought iron, built upon the coiled plan of the Armstróng guns. A round shot for the Amstrong 300-poundcr weighs but 114 pouuds. But the strougth secured by this metal and construction is such that they are loadod with conical shot weighing 300 pounds ; and Mr. Thomas claims that his nineinch gun will stand projeotiles of 410 pounds weight; and these nine-inch guns are fired with a greater charge of powder than can be ventured iu our 15-inch cast iron guns. The Times remarks upon this trial, that they already have guns which eau send shells through tho thickest plates thoy can make in England, and thicker than any vessel is likely to bring from abroad. It is claimed that the inaking of 300-pounder wrought iron riflod guns is au established. suceess. The Times statos that Armstrong has made a 600 pounder, which will be triod.in course of a mouth, and that before twelvo months we shall see at least one, if not more, 1,000 pounder guns of the same kiud. While such progress is being made abroad, our safety requires that our progress shal not be stoppod or misdirected by the ineubus which has rested oa our Ordnauce Department. We have the resulta of exporiments elsewhere for a guide. We have mechanics equal to any in the world. But the great capital required to provide for such work will uot be invested while the euterprise not only has no support nor certainty of acceptanoe by the government, but Iras the certainty of meeting determiued hostility froin the head of the Ordnance Bureau, and every effort to íiscredit the guns from one who will have tb8.power tu make his hostillity effective.