2 GUNS AND GUNMAKERS. 



and work for masters who knew not half so much as 

 themselves ! 



So much for the establishment of the only man whom 

 any first-rate judge of work could consider as qualified 

 for a leader, or king, among the gunmakers ! Such was 

 the esprit de corps among his men, that they rallied 

 round him till the very last, rather than serve under 

 any artist in whose abilities they had less confidence. 



[It may perhaps be thought bad taste to speak about 

 common journeymen. But I like to do justice to the 

 subs as well as to the commander.] 



The London gunmakers are now like the frogs with- 

 out a king ; and they complain bitterly about the flatness 

 of trade. But for this they have to thank their intro- 

 duction of the detonating system, by which they got 

 caught themselves in the very trap that was laid for 

 their customers. When flint-guns were the order of 

 the day, few sporting gentlemen of distinction ever 

 thought of using any thing but the gun of a first-rate 

 maker, for the simple reason that on the goodness of 

 the work depended the quickness in firing, and conse- 

 quently the filling of the bag. But, now-a-days, every 

 common fellow in a market town can detonate an old 

 musket, and make it shoot as quick as can be wished ; 

 insomuch that all scientific calculations in shooting, at 

 moderate distances, are now so simplified that we, every 

 day, meet with jackanapes-apprentice-boys who can 

 shoot flying, and knock down their eight birds out of 

 ten. Formerly shooting required art and nerve now, 

 for tolerable shooting (at all events for the use of one 

 barrel) nerve alone is sufficient. Formerly a first-rate 

 gun was a sine qua noti ; now, the most that we can 

 call it is a desideratum ; since all guns are now made 



