[ 550 j 
wall A 99080 D@® M Bri FB. ii moiaivino: 
oo Mero Perkins’ Steams Guu-The sur 
(prising: effects of» this “wonderful ‘invention 
were latelyvexhibited at the maufactory’ of 
thesiniventor, iear'the: Regent’s Park, in 
‘thespresencesof the Duke of Wellington 
(masteriof the ordnance) and his staff ; the 
Marquess’ of \Salisbury, ‘Mr. Peel, Sir H. 
Hardinge,\ Lord Fitzroy Somerset, the 
Judge: Advocate-General, and many other 
unilitary officers of the highest rank, toge- 
ther witha committee of engixeer and ar- 
tillery officers. 
.o\Phexdischarge of steam was almost in- 
cessant fortwo: hours, during which its 
force‘ and rapidity in discharging balls ex- 
cited’ amazement in all present. At first 
the balls were discharged at short intervals, 
in)-imitation of artillery firing, against an 
iron, target; ‘at the distance’ of thirty-five 
yards.) Such: was the force with which 
they: were driven, that they were complete- 
ly shattered to atoms. In the next expe- 
riment the balls were discharged at a frame 
of wood, and they passed through eleven 
one-inch planks of the hardest deal, placed 
97g od @ 
at. a distance of an inch from each other. - 
Afterwards they were propelled against an 
iron-plate of one-fourth of an inch thick, 
and: at the very first trial the ball passed 
through, it. This was declared to be the 
utmost force that gunpowder could exert. 
‘This plate had been brought specially from 
‘Woolwich, for the purpose of ascertaining 
the comparative force of steam and gun- 
powder. 
(1 Thepressure of steam employed to effect 
this wonderful pressure did not at first ex- 
ceed65 atmospheres, or 900 lbs. to the 
square inch:'and it was repeatedly stated 
by Mx. Perkins that the pressure might be 
carried: even to 200 atmospheres with per- 
fect isafety. 
Mr.) Perkins then proceeded to demon- 
strate the rapidity with which musket-balls 
might be projected by steam. To effect 
this he screwed on. to the gun-barrel a tube 
filled with balls, which, falling down by 
their own gravity into the barrel, were 
projected, one by one, with such’ extraor- 
dinary velocity as ‘to demonstrate that, by 
means of a succession of tubes, filled with 
balls, fixed ina wheel (a model of which 
was: exhibited), nearly one thousand balls 
per minute might be discharged. In sub- 
sequent discharges or volleys, the barrel, 
to which is attached a moveable joint, was 
given a lateral direction, and the balls per- 
forated.a plank nearly twelve feet in length. 
Thus;, if-opposed to a regiment in line, the 
steam-gun might be made to act from one 
of its extremities\to the other. A similar 
plank was. .afterwards placed in a perpen- 
dicular position, «and, in like manner, there 
was a stream of shot-holes from the top to 
the, bottom: -Ituis°thus proved that’ the 
 MARICTIES, LIDERARY AND MISCELLANEOUS» yor 
—=z_—- 
wa) L slt"yo non shady oP 
steam-gun Has not! only the force of gin 
wwder, but also. admits: ofvany direction 
enig given teint blog to emsntsso 
ost surprise was) eteated by the effect 
of a volley of balls discharged against tHe 
brick wall’ by the sidevof ‘the targets They 
absolutely dug a hole*of ¢onsidefablé* di- 
mensions. in! the walk’ ahde “penetrated 
almost oneshalf through its © thiekness. 
Several officers declared ‘their béliefy that, 
had the balls’ béen of irom instéad of Tex, 
they would have’ made a breach “through 
it: the walliwas eighteen inches thiek/’'°7 
New Acts relating 10° Shippirg.— AN 
ships'and vessels'whichhave not'been Te 
gistered since’ the? Ist'\of > Jantiatry 1823; 
must be registered, de novo; ‘belore thé Lat 
of January 1826. © It .isalso, enacted; that 
every ship or vessel shall; ‘before! she*takes 
in a cargo, hayé» her/mame*painted’ on thie 
stern, im letters’ of not» less ‘than® four 
inches in length ; by which enaetment'all 
yachts and other vessels, ‘which do’ not 
take in cargoes, are not compelled ‘tohave 
their names on the stern. “It is‘also'en- 
acted, that all vessels which are not square- 
rigged, and all vessels whatever, Whose 
length shall be greater than in the*propor- 
tion of three feet to one foot in breadth, 
shall be forfeited, if not licensed by’the 
5th January 1826; by which’ there’ are 
very few, if any, ships or vessels of any 
description whatever, in the United King- 
dom, but what must be immediately licens- 
ed; also boats of every description and size, 
except such as belong to square-rigged 
ships, or such as are solely employed ‘in 
the fisheries, must have been Jicénsed be- 
(oa? 
pate Aker P bbe 
same colour and’ consistence as those 
- 215SRhSS. 
have its pupil and tunica conjunc wa. The 
eye being situated lengthways, betwee 
the nose and the horn, it ate ult nie 
lid = ‘and it wowld’ at are Ti ee eek 
id; and it would appear that there, “ne 
palpebrarum muscle is large, ¢ 
