MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS. 83 
peculiarly adapted—the writer’s remarks will be 
mainly confined. Feeling entirely convinced, even 
from a short experience, of their superiority in most 
particulars, and their equality in all, he regards the 
consequence as inevitable that they will utterly 
supersede the old-fashioned fowling-piece; the few 
defects that were originally alleged to exist in them 
having been either removed or remedied, and the 
supply of ammunition for them in this country 
having become sufficient. They have won their 
- way slowly into public favor against the interested 
opposition of gun-makers on one band, and the igno- 
rance and superstitious dread of change: of gun-users 
on the other. 
They are 4 French invention of twenty years’ 
standing, and proved their superiority long ago; 
but prejudice was too strong for them, as it has been 
for many another good thing. Their merits, never- 
theless, slowly conquered opposition, convinced the 
intelligent, and confounded the obstinate; till at 
last in England—the very hot-bed of prejudice and 
the favorite abiding-place of antiquated ideas—there 
are now sold five breech-loaders to one muzzle- 
loader. As they are not extensively used with us, 
the description of them will have to be somewhat 
minute, and would be better understood if the reader 
would take the trouble to examine one for himself. 
The best and most generally adopted of the vari- 
ous kinds is the Lefaucheux, or some slight modi- 
fication of it; and to that the attention will be prin- 
cipally directed. In this gun the breech, which in 
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