§ MR. CARBUTTasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether the new 63-ton gun and the 110-ton gun, which are in the course of manufacture, are a new design, or are they being made on the same system as the 43-ton gun; has the 43-ton gun been tested; and, if so, can he state its penetration at short ranges, and also its length of range; can he state if any of the 43-ton guns were fired during the bombardment of Alexandria, and how many rounds were fired from one gun; and, can he give a list of the guns which were damaged at Alexandria, and state what the damage was?
§ MR. BRANDWith the hon. Member's permission, I will answer the Question. The 63-ton and 110-ton guns, which are in course of manufacture, are on new designs. The 43-ton gun has been tested. It can perforate about 21 inches of wrought iron, or about two-thirds of the same thickness of compound plate. Its maximum range is about eight miles. None of the 43-ton guns were fired at Alexandria, as none were mounted in vessels at that time. The guns reported damaged at Alexandria were five in number—namely, one 11-inch, which showed a crack at the muzzle; two 10-inch, which exhibited trifling defects on the exterior near the muzzle; one 8-inch, struck on muzzle by enemy's shell; and one 20-pounder, handle of vent piece blown off.