128 THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 



four, five, six, seven, and eight bullets ; 

 but on being charged and discharged 

 with nine bullets, the Damascus barrel 

 flew into a thousand pieces, and was shi- 

 vered to atoms ; but ten and eleven 

 bullets were fired from the Birmingham 

 gun, without producing any extraordi- 

 nary efi'ect. However, on the twelve 

 bullets being fired from it, about three 

 inches of the muzzle of the barrel were 

 blown off, and that without materially 

 disfiguring the giin, for the piece was 

 severed as neatly as if it had been filed 

 oflT; and it was the opinion'of those pre- 

 sent that the " Brummagem " would 

 have stood one, or even two more bullets, 

 had the last charge (the twelve) been 

 properly rammed down. Nevertheless, 

 the superiority of the British manufac- 

 ture was sufficiently manifest, and, even 

 without adducing this authenticated fact 

 in support of my argument, I should be 



