THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
55 
vided a cushion of timber, 5 in. thick, behind his inner or intermepiate 
armour. Clark gave up elasticity altogether, and aimed at rigidity. Samuda 
and Scott Eussell did the same, and the Iron Committee in their target also 
had no elastic substance. 
In this no doubt lies one cause of failure in Clark’s, as in the other_three 
last named. 
Next, the interval between the armour and the skin of the ship in the 
"Warrior” is 18inches, in Chalmers’ 16 inches, in Clark’s only 7 inches; 
this may have a good deal to do with the inferiority of the latter, inasmuch 
as the greater thickness of backing, of whatever material it may be composed, 
must have more or less the effect of distributing the force of a blow, 
delivered upon the armour, over a large surface of the inner structure—and 
it must be observed, that the examples of Scott Eussell’s, Samuda’s, and the 
Committee’s target, all point to a similar conclusion. 
In addition to other objections to any of the principles advocated by Mr 
Clark, there is that great one of extreme complication of design and conse¬ 
quent costliness; the latter consideration might give way to the promise of 
increased strength, but nothing can compensate for the former. To re-model 
the ships of the British fleet on Mr Clark’s principle would occupy the 
greater part of the remainder of this century. 
This being the last experiment which can be recorded in this paper/ it 
may be interesting to repeat a few of the most notable results obtained in the 
year. 
First then.—The side of the “ Minotaur ” has been completely pierced by 
the Armstrong lOJ-in. gun (12 tons), throwing a sphericaluast-iron shot at 
200 yds. range, while similar shot had failed to penetrate the inner skin of 
the " Warrior.” 
Secondly.—The Horsfall 13-in. gun (244 tons) completely penetrated the 
side of the "Warrior,” at 200 yds., with a cast-iron shot; but at 800 yds., it 
pierced the armour only of the same ship and buried itself in the timber 
backing. 
Thirdly.—Mr Whitworth’s 70-pr., at 200 yds., has succeeded in passing 
a shell of homogeneous metal through 4 in. of armour and 9 in. of timber 
previous to bursting; also his 120-pr., at the same range, has passed a shell 
of the same metal through the side of the "Warrior,” bursting in its 
passage; and the same gun, at 800 yds., has completely pierced, with both 
shot and shell of the same metal, a ship’s side, constructed as to frame of 
equal strength with the "Warrior,” but covered with 5-in. of armour. 
Fourthly.—The Armstrong 12-ton gun has just penetrated 7i-in. armour 
with a steel shot at 200 yds., and it has completely pierced a ship’s side, 
consisting of 5J-in. armour, 9 in. of teak, and strong inner skin and frame, 
with a steel shell. 
Fifthly.—A shield for land defences has been produced that is equal to 
resist a battering from guns up to 12 tons in weight, at a distance of 200 
yards. 
In this state the question of guns against iron armour must be allowed to 
stand for the present, but it is one which cannot stand still long; already we 
have a 600-pr. mounted at Shoeburyness and ready for trial, and there are 
manufacturers who are anxious to begin upon still larger guns. 
