§ MAJOR GAVINsaid, he would beg, in the absence of his hon. Friend (Mr. Gregory), to ask the Under Secretary of State for War, when Mr. Whitworth's guns are to be tried, and the causes of the delay in the trial?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONSir, the House, I apprehend, is aware that experiments have never altogether ceased with guns upon Mr. Whitworth's principle of construction. Several guns have at different times been ordered from Mr. Whitworth, and tried by the Government. In consequence of the very decided success in the year 1862 of guns of that construction against iron plates, it was decided 1335 that a competitive trial between guns on the Whitworth and Armstrong principles should take place. Mr. Whitworth objected, to some extent, to the trial being conducted by the Ordnance Select Committee, who were the usual advisers of the Secretary of State on such subjects, on the ground that they were, to a great extent, identified with the Armstrong system, and therefore could not be considered altogether unbiassed. It had accordingly been decided that a new Committee should be appointed, and Mr. Whitworth expressed himself perfectly satisfied with the constitution of that Committee and with the programme of the experiments which the Committee intended to institute. The Committee was appointed in January, 1863, and in February of that year Mr. Whitworth was informed what guns would be required. He stated that he should be able to deliver them all—namely, three 12-pounders and three 70-pounders—within eight weeks. The guns, however, have not yet been delivered, and Mr. Whitworth has frequently been called upon to deliver the guns or to state his reasons for the delay. Last summer Mr. Whitworth stated that he was unable to procure the proper metal for the manufacture of large guns, on account of the manufacturer not having obtained the necessary machinery. The Committee have very recently visited Mr. Whitworth's works at Manchester, and he promised that the guns should at the very latest be delivered by the 15th of this month. It has now been decided that whether the guns are delivered or not by that time, the experiments, or such of them as can be conducted with the guns which have already been delivered, shall be commenced and carried out at a date not later than the 1st of April next. The delay, therefore, it will be seen, does not arise with the Government or the Committee, but from Mr. Whitworth not being able, as I understand, to obtain the necessary metal for the manufacture of large guns.