THE EOYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
411 
It appears unnecessary to carry provision at present beyond the 7-in., 
8-in., and 9-in. calibres. The decision respecting any larger natures that 
may be hereafter ordered can await the result of the present trial; but the 
Committee must express the hope that this trial will be considered final. If 
the so-called French system should fail in larger calibres, the natural course 
would be to fall back on Sir William Armstrong's, which holds the second 
place; which has been more thoroughly studied and worked out than any 
other; and through a wider range of calibres—which is actually in the 
service in the muzzle-loading 64-pr. guns—and to which so many of our 
existing experimental guns of large calibre, the ‘600-pr., 800-pr., 9’22-in. 
or 220-pr., are conformed. To throw away the experience gained with these 
guns, and the expense incurred in the preparation of patterns and means of 
manufacture, without good cause, would be to postpone, unnecessarily, the 
great desideratum of a settled system, and plunge anew into tedious and 
costly experiments on a mere hypothesis of improvement. 
17. Under the head of “ Endurance” in their preliminary report, the 
Committee called attention to the peculiar eating away of the centre of the 
powder chamber which had taken place in these guns. 
They now attach, for record, the report of the Inspector of Ordnance on 
their present condition, observing as implied previously—that owing to the 
varying qualities of steel—they do not think any conclusive opinion as to 
the comparative durability of guns rifled on these systems, can with justice 
be determined by the trial they have undergone, although the general result 
points to the probability that with such heavy charges as have been 
used on this occasion the tubes of guns of large calibre will not last longer 
than 500 rounds. 
The description and total number of rounds fired from each gun, to the 
present date, is as follows :— 
Charge. 
Erench. 
Shunt. 
Scott. 
Lancaster. 
lbs. 
25 
123 
66 
84 
83 
20 
322 
126 
236 
236 
12 
122 
66 
97 
97 
Totals 
667 
258 
417 
416 
The projectiles varied in weight from 110 lbs. to 100 lbs. 
(Signed) L. G. HEATH, 
Captain, R.N., 
Vice President. 
[VOL. IV.] 
54 
