MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS. 48 
The objections, however, urged against breech- 
loaders have not been few, and, if well founded, 
forbid the use of the gun; if, as has been said, the 
target is not so good, nor the shot sent with as 
much force, the requisites of a first-class sporting 
implement are wanting. These charges, freely ad- 
vanced, have been sustained in a measure by the 
wretched performance of poor guns, but have finally 
been brought to the only true test—actual experi- 
ence, under equal conditions ; and by this test have 
been so utterly annihilated that their discussion is 
only necessary on account of popular ignorance of 
the experiments. When breech-loaders first came 
prominently before the English public, their sup- 
posed merits and demerits were discussed in the 
sporting papers in an animated and violent manner ; 
and in order to settle the questions at issue, the 
editor of the London /%eld determined to have an 
open trial, where the breech-loaders and muzzle- 
loaders could be fairly matched against one another. 
The contests took place in 1858 and 1859, and being 
carefully conducted, settled the dispute for the time 
being, and, even before the latest improvements, 
established more fully the superiority of the breech- 
loader. The best guns and gun-makers of England 
were represented; and in spite of occasional varia- 
tion and accidental luck—as in the pattern of the 
first muzzle-loader—the prejudices against the mo- 
dern arm were so entirely dissipated that the old- 
fashioned guns are at present rarely sold. 
Since that trial considerable advance has been 
