208 ELECTRO-METALLURGY 



be made upon her, and the time when the attack might bo expected. Not- 

 withstanding these important advantages in the ship's favour the torpedo 

 boats steam pinnaces burst through the "Monarch's" cordon of guard boats, 

 got over the difficulty of the projecting crinoline spar defence, and struck the 

 frigate with their dummy torpedoes. These results proved that any vessel lying at 

 anchor at night must be fatally deficient in her defensive powers in a want of means 

 for searching with lightning quickness and distinctness the surface of the water to a 

 considerable distance around the ship. 



'To supply this want effectually, Mr. H. "Wilde, of Manchester, some time since 

 submitted to the Admiralty a proposition for the use of one of his electro-magnetic 

 induction machines, fitted with a proper apparatus for projecting the beam of light 

 produced upon distant objects. One of these machines has been fixed on board the 

 " Comet," twin screw gun vessel at Portsmouth (one of the short and light draught-boats 

 carrying one 18-ton gun on a rising and lowering platform, on the Armstrong-Kendell 

 plan), and was tested during the nights of Thursday and Friday, under the super- 

 vision of Captain Boys, commanding the " Excellent " gunnery establishment, and mem- 

 bers of the Naval and War Office Torpedo Committee, with the most complete success. 



' On Thursday the "Comet" left Portsmouth Harbour for the eastern entrances to 

 Spithead, from the Channel, at about 8 P.M. ; but half an hour before leaving a first 

 experiment was made with the machine and its projector lens in throwing the beam 

 of light round the upper part of Portsmouth Harbour. The results were startling. 

 The gunnery ship " Excellent," with her tenders and the boats alongside and at the 

 boom-ends, the long lengths of the sea-wall enclosing the dockyard extension works, 

 the mud-banks it being nearly low water the "Asia "and the vessels about her, 

 and further away into Fareham Creek, Her Majesty's yacht " Victoria and Albert," 

 the " Grlatton " monitor, and the few men-of-war boats moving about between the 

 ships at the time, all stood out with wonderful distinctness as the electric light touched 

 them. But, beyond all the others, the " Glatton," in her French-grey paint, given her 

 as an invisible dress at certain distances by daylight, shone out in weird splendour. 

 It needed no subsequent experiment to prove that a vessel painted in neutral colour 

 must stand out very much more distinctly under the influence of the electric light than 

 another vessel at the same distance, and pninted with the ordinary black coating of 

 our broadside ironclads. When the " Comet " subsequently left the harbour and had 

 taken on board the members of the Torpedo Committees off Southsea, she steamed to 

 a position off Brading and the east end of the Isle of Wight, and anchored, attacks 

 being then made upon her by two steam-pinnace torpedo boats, from directions, of 

 course unknown on board the " Comet." When the boats had been away a certain 

 time the electric light was brought into play, its beam sweeping the surface of the 

 water, and in each instance discovering the torpedo boats before they could lessen a 

 mile's distance between them and the " Comet." Discovered at such a distance, their 

 attack, of course, was considered to have utterly failed. 



' On Friday the " Comet " was anchored in Stoke's Bay, near the west end of the 

 measured mile, and buoyed off for the speed trials of Her Majesty's ships. Captain 

 Boys and the members of the Torpedo Committees made a number of experiments with 

 the light, upon which official reports will be made, as will also bo done with the 

 experiments conducted on the previous day. If we know, which we do not, the excict 

 details of all these experiments, comment upon them hero would bo out of place as 

 anticipating the reports to be yet made by Captain Boys and the members of the 

 committees. What was evident to all afloat and on the look-out for the trial of the 

 new light on the nights of Thursday or Friday was that its power was immense, and 

 of this we may speak freely and yet briefly. On Friday, as on Thursday, no boat 

 could approach the light within a mile without being at once discovered, and the irny 

 or white painted steam-pinnace was always much more prominently and longer in view 

 under the light than the other in its coat of black paint. In a boat at 2,000 yards 

 distance from the " Comet," and witli the beam of light brought to bear upon the 

 boat, the " Times " could be read witli the greatest ease.' 



For a description of Gramme's Magneto-electric machine, see ELKCTRO-MOTIVE 

 ENGINES. 



ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. See ELECTRO-TELEGRAPH v. 



ELECTRIC WEAVING. M. Bonelli devised a very beautiful arrangement, 

 by which all the work of the Jacquard loom is executed by an electro-magnetic ar- 

 rangement. The details of the apparatus would occupy much space in the most con- 

 cise description, and as the invention has 7iot passed into use, although M. Imminent, 

 has modified and improved the machine, wo must refer those interested in the sul>jeet 

 to the full description given in Do la Rive's ' Treatise on Electricity' by Walker. 



ELECTRO-GILDING BATH. See CYANIDI -'.s. 



ELECTRO-rVIETALLURGir. Tho ;irt of working in metals was carried on 

 exclusively by the aid of fire until the year 1839. At that epoch a new light dawned 



