§ MR. CARBUTTasked the Surveyor General of the Ordnance, Whether it is true, as reported in The Times of 18th March, that one of the 80-tun guns of H.M.S. Inflexible is unserviceable owing to the scoring of the steel lining; if he 1699 will state whether this gun is a muzzle or breech loader; whether it is a steel gun; whether it has an enlarged powder chamber; where it was manufactured, and the cost; what date it was first fired after being mounted in position on board ship; if he can state approximately how many rounds of powder and shot have been fired by this gun; if it is proposed to replace it by an 80-ton gun taken from Shoeburyness; and, if so, is this gun of the same design; and, how many of these guns are in use?
§ MR. BRANDOne of the guns of Her Majesty's Ship Inflexible, as stated in The Times of the 18th of March, is unserviceable in its present condition, but it is repairable. It is a muzzle-loader. It has a steel tube with outer coils of wrought iron. It has an enlarged powder chamber. It was manufactured at the Royal Gun Factories. Its cost was £10,075. It was first fired after being mounted in position on board ship, I believe in 1880. It has fired 86 rounds up to date. It is proposed to replace this gun by the reserve—on loan to Shoeburyness for an experiment against armour plates. The reserve gun is of the same design. There are six of these guns in use; four in the Inflexible, two in Dover Turret, and beyond this there are two reserve guns.
§ In answer to a further Question,
§ MR. BRANDsaid that to re-line the damaged gun would not cost more than £400, as spare tubes were in hand.