YOUNG AUSTRALIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1495, 1 March 1887, Page 2

YOUNG AUSTRALIA.

A would-be juvenile genius has forwarded the following unique epistle to the Victorian Defence Department : — "Address No; 6 Cambridge terrace, Drummond street, near Prince's street, Oarlton, January 20, 1887. Saturday, Dear Sir,—l am a boy, 13 years old ; but I have very great engineering abilities. I have found out, by always thinking, a dreadful weapon of war on land. I shall now tell you something about it. First, it is made of two road engines, and a platform extending from one to the other. On this platform the soldiers and cannon are to placed, and protected by a wall m front of them (the soldiers), and the engines made so that they can keep up with the cavalry, and made very strong and durable, so that the soldiers can run it np to the enemy and pour canister shot out of the cannon m tbeir faces. If it will work it will bow the Russians to pieces. I have got another one, It is a land torpedo, and made to move by olookwork, and when close to the enemy to explode, and I reokon, if yon put about 301 bof dynamite m one, it will blow up over 1000 men, bo that if the soldiers carried about 5000 they could blow up the entire Russian army, an 4 completely cripple the Ruaßiau nation for over. Call or send some officer up oorae time next week, at night, because I am at work all day, and then I will show him or you the plans and specifications, and then you can get the raacbinefmade, because I have no money to get it mado. so come some time next week, for we are going to move to Geelong soon. — I am, yours respectfully, (signed) Edwin Pokbrick.