386 



FIRE-ARMS 



from the rifling, without any fatigue to the soldier in loading: with this projectile, in- 

 deed, the operation is but slightly more difficult than with the ordinary cartridge and 

 smooth barrels. 



The bullet (jig. 898) of the ' Carabine a Tige ' was called ' Cylindro-Conique,' and 

 898 899 900 



was said to possess this advantage over the preceding, that, being brought more to a 

 point in front, it bored its way through the air with greater ease, and thus retained 

 greater velocity, and of course, more extended range ; and with this bullet it was that 

 Mons. Tamisier introduced three sharp-edged channels round it, which ho stated were 

 necessary to keep its flight steady, by offering a resistance to the action of the air. 



Finally, Mons. Minie, an officer of the French line, suggested (jig. 899) the addition 

 of a deuoyau or culot to the hollow ball of Delvigue. This, in the form of a little cup 

 made of sheet iron, is placed in the orifice of the conical hollow of the ball behind, and 

 by the energy of the powder is driven into the ball, enlarging its diameter permanently, 

 and thus giving all the accuracy of the rifle, with nearly the same facility of loading 

 as with the plain barrel. 



The principle of the invention, as thus developed, has, we learn, been adopted by our 

 Government for the general use of the army, seeing that it offers so great advantages 

 over the system of plain barrels, but the bullet (jig. 900), as modified by the Inspector 

 of Small Arms, has on its exterior no channels, they being found not only useless as to 

 steadying the flight of the projectile, but absolutely injurious in lowering its velocity. 

 The bullet in its improved form top, being more truly balanced in its proportions, 

 and made by mechanical means instead of by casting, has no tendency to the gyrations 

 which appear to have so puzzled French artillerists, and for which they have invented 

 the word ' derivation,' and wasted much learned disquisition. 



But even if it were ever to happen, which is not likely, that these various projectors 

 could be brought to agree as to the best form of projectile, they will then find out, 

 that although by the general introduction of rifled and elongated bullets an immense 

 advantage has been realised over plain barrels, their plans, based as they all are upon 

 a system of loading at the muzzle, are at best but one step in advance ; and that a good 

 sound military fire-arm loading at the breech will, after all, remain the groat desideratum 

 an arm that, without any less accuracy or power to reach masses of artillery or 

 cavalry at a thousand yards' distance, will enable the soldier to triple the quantity of 

 his fire at any moment that he may be called upon to repel a charge of cavalry, or 

 attack or defend a breach at close quarters ; of such simple construction, and so easily 

 handled in every position of the body, that the soldier can pour every shot of his most 

 murderous fire upon the enemy with unerring precision, whilst he himself may lie 

 coolly behind a stone or in a ditch in entire security. 



These are no longer wild imaginings, although so many hundreds of attempts towards 

 the same object, from the earliest period to the pfeseutday, have been one after another 

 seen invariably to fail. The Germans have been long and steadily pursuing the great 

 object, until at length Ilerr Dreysa, of Sommcrda in Thuringia, has succeeded, after 

 more than twenty years of continued labour, in establishing a musket, under the name 

 of 'Zundnadelgewehr,' which, if not quite perfect, is so well adapted for the 



.LJ'p Vx^WWWWW 



which it is applied that the Prussians have armed the whole of their lino and tho 

 Laudwehr with this weapon. 



The needle musket (Jiff. 901) consists of a strong socket a, open on the upper side 



