FOR duck guns, cork has been strongly recom- 

 mended, but it requires to be cut very thick, or it 

 will not bear the explosion of the powder, which all 

 wadding should do, in order to give strength to the 

 shot. For this reason, therefore, while a gun is not 

 fired so often as to become heated, or damped with 

 fluid, we may have recourse to leather; or, if that 

 cannot be conveniently procured, and nothing should 

 be at hand but common pasteboard, put two rounds 

 of that on the powder. 



Let your punched wadding be what it will, always 

 put with it a good cushion of paper, before you add 

 the shot, which may be covered with any thing, that 

 will just prevent it from running out of the barrel; 

 or, to keep the powder still more air-tight, force in 

 the wadding wrapped up in a piece of cotton or short 

 fine tow. This is still better than the paper, as it 

 will also have the effect of cleaning the barrel, and 

 preventing it from leading so soon as it otherwise 

 would do. 



So much for the old, and hitherto universal system, 

 among the leading shots and gunmakers. Now for 

 another. 



