§ MR. MONSELLsaid, he rose to put a question to the Secretary of State for War with reference to Mr. Barkley Briden's invention for rifling guns. Experiments had been tried with the guns which had passed through that gentleman's process, and it was found that the range was much greater than those of ordinary guns. In the year 1856 a 32-pounder was placed at the disposition of Mr. Briden, and he was allowed to rifle it, and this year there had been some experiments at Shoeburyness, and with success. It appeared that by an ordinary 32-pounder the shot was thrown 675 3,000 yards, but Mr. Briden's guns threw them 4,000 yards. Again, he might mention that the groove of the gun was only l–16th of an inch, and therefore it did not impair the strength of the guns. He wished to know whether Mr. Briden's plan had been adopted, and whether, according to his system, any of the guns were now being rifled.
§ MR. SIDNEY HERBERTsaid, he had endeavoured to hasten as much as was in his power the rifling of guns, and he understood that among those who had produced the most ingenious mode of rifling guns might be ranked Mr. Barkley Briden; but he was not able at that moment to give any positive opinion upon the subject of his rifles, as experiments were now in progress to ascertain which was the best mode of rifling guns. As soon as those experiments were completed he would be able to form an opinion on the subject.