has gone by for putting men in armour. Fortunately, however, no nation can play at that game like England; for we have boundless resources, both in the production and application of iron, which must be the material for the armour. In the case of a battery against a ship, the advantage would be greatly in favour of the battery, because it would have a steady platform for its guns, and would be made of a less vulnerable material, supposing the ship to be made of timber. But, on the other hand, in bombarding fortresses, arsenals, or dockyards, when the object to be struck is very extended, ships would be enabled to operate from a great distance, where they could bid defiance to land defences.” After some observations, the author continued:-- “Notwithstanding the high estimation in which Sir William Armstrong’s guns are held, and deservedly so from their great intrinsic merit, they have certainly in Mr. Warry’s great invention a rival that may eventually be found to eclipse them. “The Armstrong gun cannot be fired oftener than three times a minute, and the bore, it is said, has to be constantly sluiced with water; whereas Warry’s admits, as has been affirmed, of being discharged 16 or 18 times a minute, or 1,000 an hour, without difficulty, though of course not without heating, as some reporters have misrepresented. Guns of the former description are expensive, and must be made expressly by means of special machinery. Mr. Warry, on the other hand, asserts that he can convert every existing gun into a breech-loader upon his principle, and at a moderate outlay: an advantage of the greatest moment at the present time. “This gun is fired by means of a lock. On one side of the breech there is a lever, so contrived that by one motion of the hand it is made to cock the hammer and to open the chamber. A second movement closes the charger again, pierces or cuts the cartridge, places a cap on the nipple, and fires the gun almost simultaneously. “With a due supply of ammunition, therefore, a destructive torrent of shot and shell may be maintained _ad libitum_. It is not difficult to form a conception of the havoc even one such gun would occasion if brought to bear upon the head of an advancing column. “The inventor has, besides, made application for a patent for a new coating he has devised for all kinds of projectiles, in lieu of any leaden or metallic covering, which has been found very objectionable in actual practice. The new coating, it is said, reduces the ‘fouling’ to a minimum.