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206 The Leadei-and[ScOurda^ Analyst. [Ma...
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THE SAVOY DYNASTY. rpHE - cession of Sav...
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T1ik W1i1tworth Guns. : Npiie Surprising...
jeetile a line of trajectory so strongly curved , as to render tawing an object comparatively easy , -and materially to diminish its utility at a 0 B Tlie i ) robIem to be-applied to" artillery was how to obta in on a large scale a repetition of the results of the best rifle practice . It , for example , Jacob , with a izun weighing less than ten pounds and projectiles of from one oz . to one and u-lialf oz ., could do execution with tolerable certainty at from a . thousand to two thousand yards , Low muchmore ' ought to be accomplished with cannon weighing many hundred-weight , or even tons , and balls of proportionate size Y '¦ The two most successful experimenters were Sir Williaii Armdifficul ol
strong and Mr . Whitworth . Both got over the ty . making an ' -iron projectile -fit as accurately as the leaden rifle ball , and , though in different ways , both accomplished the breech loading In a very serviceable manner . But there was an important difference in the two schemes . Sir W . Armstrong adhered to the older pattern rifles , with a great number of grooves and a moderate twist ,- Mr . Whitworth followed the Swiss and General Jacob , m laving Yew grooves and a very high twist . It may be said that the ¦ Wh itwoetu guns are not grooved at all , being six-sided polygons , each side descending in a spiral or screw form ; but the angles ot the polygons correspond very closely with the grooving in other
systems . , . ., It may not be fair yet to assume a complete superiority m the Whit worth over the Armstrong cannon , but from present appearances the former has the advantage in long-range and accuracy , . and confirms the principle of a considerable twist and a moderate number of grooves . The extreme range of . ' the Whittvoeth gun is yet unknown , as in recent experiments his eighty pounder was . only fired at a small elevation from a temporary carriage , but the operation of the different .. sizes employed was beyond any reasonable anticipation , and inevitably led to the conviction that very great changes must take place in the art of' war . The twelve pound gun—that is , a gun whose round shot would be of that weight , but whose elongated projectiles are much heavier—with an elevation of seven degrees and If pound
of powder , had a range of a , little over three thousand yards , and in four trials the average deviation of the ball from the line of fire ivas only twenty-one inches . Twice out of the four , the ball fell on the line , and its greatest deviation was If yard . Even when , from the strength of the wind arid other causes , the deviation was greater , it was still insufficient' for the safety of a small body of men li mile off . With an elevation of ten degrees , the . twelve pounder gained arrange of from 3 , 942 yards to 4 , 059 , or fro in 2 | to nearly 2 h miles ; and the greatest deviation was only sixteen yards , the average of five shots being twelve yards , It should be remembered that the gun was worked by Mr . Whitwokth ' s men , ¦ who have had very little practice , and that greater accuracy would certainly follow sufficient experience in making allowances for strength of wind and other disturbing circumstances . twelve of and five
The eighty pound gun with pounds powder degrees elevation ranged from 2 , 51 / 1 to 2 , 60-1 yards , with deviations of five and seven yards ; at ten degrees elevation , its range was 4 , 670 and 4 , 730 yards , with deviations of five and six yards . The range obtained with ten degrees elevation exceeded that of the Ar ^ tst ron o- seventy pounder by seven hundred yards ; but the latter , at thirty-five ' degrces elevation , made its first graze at eight thousand yards , and we wait with curiosity to know what the " Whitworth will do whew elevated to the same extent . It was , however , with .. the three pounder that the most wonderful performance was made . This miniature piece of artillery , which a Xondoii porter would think nothing of carrying , as it only weighs two hundred and eight pounds , with 1 & inch bore , obtained with thirty-five degrees elevation a range of more than 5 & miles , the difference of deviation between the shot which fell nearest and that which fell widest fceing only fifty-seven yards . With twenty
degreeselcvation tho first shot went more than four miles ( 7 , 073 yards ) , only deviating four yards ; the second reached 6 , 985 yards , with deviation of 4 $ yards ; the third G , 9 G 0 yards , deviating 4 & yards ; and the fourth 6 , 822 yards , with deviation of twenty-seven yards , all the deviations being to tho right . The deviation in the last shot was ascribed to an accidental shifting of . tho gun . , Thus it is shown that we have a si mill wenpon with which death could bo unerringly carried among a body of cavalry or infantry at a distance of several miles ; and the chief obstacle to the use of this marvellous artillery will be the difficulty , oven with good telescope ^ , of seeing the objects at which tho guns ought to bo aimed ; One of tho first things which strikes us after reading the narrative of thoso trials , is tho folly of wasti »{? money upon coast fortifications , as ifc is ovident that movable g ; m \ e , well placed and protected by earth works or sand-bags would prove sufficient fur tho dofonco of almost any position ; and honco that regular furts should only bo constructed where there is an unusual amount of valuable material to protect , nnd a strong 1 probability of a formidable and sustained attack .
Mv . WiiiTWoiiTit is preparing for an assault upon iron-cased ships , qnd expects , by strong 1 , / lat-hoatled shot to penetrate with ease tho thick plates upon which many luvyo placed too credulous a reliance . iLast year Mv . Whitworth onsily sent his bulls through the plates then ' rondo , but those now uaod , are , ' stronger , and have resisted tho seventy pound ARSjsTRONa gun . Looking a $ the effect these improvements in artillery will havo upon European uHairs , wo cannot doubt that their main tendency will be pacific , The misconduct of Austria , and tho ambition of RitHftju and France may cause now wars to urine , but they will bo of eliorfc duration , und not dangerous in character , so long
a <; thav do not involve the collision of the two greatest maritime ierv and the most daring soldier among our nearest neighbours £ vu <; t see the folly of provoking a contest with a nation possessed ot unSvaTlecL ac HtL for constructing all the cos tly apparatus ornaval war and whose new inventions have in all probability rendered useless ' the bulk of the armaments upon which other maritime powers reW It may be annoying to us to feel that our expensive and pS-lookmg three deckers may be worth httle more than firewood and that floating batteries and steam rams : Will have to be Valued ^ old iron , but calculations like these exhibit a practicardis-IJmament s »? cn as no treaty could accomplish ; anc | , f much existing Sam - sm for hostility has to be written off the European balance Seet , " s " id-fashioned ^ and good for nothing , other countries if envious of En-land ' s power to produce new navies ^ as they are xeqS , will have the satisfaction of knowing that her Armstrongs and Whit worths are not the agents of aggression , but eo-Lpounders with our merchants and manufacturers of the advantages of peace .
206 The Leadei-And[Scourda^ Analyst. [Ma...
206 The Leadei-and [ ScOurda ^ Analyst . [ March 3 , I 860 ;
The Savoy Dynasty. Rphe - Cession Of Sav...
THE SAVOY DYNASTY . rpHE cession of Savoy by Piedmont , iii return for the States of I . Central Italy , in a political point of view , is a mere bagatelle , taken apart from " the question of principle and policy involved in the extension of the French boundaries . As a matter of sentiment , however Victor Emmanuel must naturally shrink from giving , up the little mountain- nest in which his family found shelter from storm and blast generation after generation , as the following sketch will show . ...,. , dismember
Among the new kingdoms which sprung up at the - ment of the vast empire ot Charlemagne , were those of U . pper and Iiower Burgundy , the former created by Bosone , Duke of Provence , ia 879 : the latter nine years later , by Roeolph , \ yho , under the title of Marquis , assumed the mastery over the Burgundmns , the Swiss , and the Savoyards , and was croxyned in the ancient monastery of S . Maurice , in the . Vallose ,. This kingdom absorbed that .-of iower Burgundy in 03 * , and extended from Basle to the mouths oi the Rhone . But at ; the death of RoDOliPH III ., without children , in 1032 all real power was in the hands of the Barons and the clergy ,
and the crown descended to his cousin , the German emperor , Conrad-I I A near relative of the -king , an Italian by birth , named Humbert , who had abstained from making common cause with the Burgundi . an barons , but was ever faithful to his ^ sovereign , after his death protected the widowed queen . 1 his prince it was who laid the foundation of the monarchy of Savoy , m the year upv . Iii 10-15 Turin and Piedmont were united to Savoy by the marriage of Ojdo son of Humbert , with Adelaide of Turin . Left a widow , she governed the State with much wisdom For many years with tho aid of her sons Pietro and Amadeus , and this through a period ot
great disquietude , owing to the long and bitter disputes between tho sacerdoey and the empire . In this early period . of its existence tho Savoyard principality was little more than a great barony preeminent over the lay -and clerical barons , by whose counsel it governed and administered justice . Attempts , more or Jess successful were constantly made to reduce'the power of the barons by the help of the communes—with whom Humbert II . united—and whose franchises and privileges Amadeus III . thought it better to extend to some vassal provinces , lest they should rise and throw off their dependence altogether . - ; .
On the death ot Adelaide , in 1091 , a grand crisis ensued . Tho lieir was a child ; the domiuions were dismembered by covetous j > eM ) bpnr . s , and by the communes , which' were at that time definitively constituted ; and tho rapacious . Frjbeeric Barbauossa and Ms son Henry made a descent upon-the country , and took and destroyed several cities . In 1188 , Thomas I ., succeeded , a prime jfuHy equal to the task of restoring order and conferring prosperity upon the State . Ho . not only made peace with tho German Emperor , but was so useful to him that C ^ s . ui nominated him his vicar in Italy . Tjqcomas , however , never forgot that he was tho true sovereign of Savoy , and that the homage ho paid to a distant prince was a legal fiction and nothing more . At that period submission to iinporiaf authority and Italian independence wore not thought incompatible the one with the other . The Italians considered themselves as tho legitimate descendants of the Romans , who
lad conquered tho whole world , and felt that their talent and valour still made them worthy to take their placo above all others } ljut they clearly saw that they could realize their desires only by ranging themselves beneath a single banner , and recognising , u single head . This head must receive its crown in Italy ; tho enxiyn must bo conferred by tho hands of tho Pontift $ but undyitho presidentship of this crown republics nnd seignOries , citios and municipalities were all preserved free and independent . Emperor and pope thus shone with a mutually reflected light , and oiyoyotl inutual power ; while Italy enjoyed tho benefits of that light , and whs defended , without being crushed , by tho power . Thus thei princes of Savoy served a noble cause , and in their quality of Imperial vicars guarded tho liberties of their own qountry .
After the . important increase of territory gained by Odo ' of Savoy on his muvringe with Adelaide , the losses ot the State wore for some time greater than its account '' 01118- Bub Thomas was most successful , not only in restoring tho glory of his country , but in ntnfcing lavKO additions to it . Ho effected the first confederation of Savoy and Lombardyt by menus of a league with the Milanese and Vercolloso against the Marquises of Mcwferrat and Saluzzo . r jrhi 8 prince received tho spontaneous submission of Pjnorolo , and possessed , himself of Oarignauo . On his death , in 12132 , his Stato
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 3, 1860, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03031860/page/10/
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