38 BREECHING. 



antechamber and bringing it to the other chamber in 

 an oblique direction. There was certainly a degree of 

 ingenuity in his improvement ; but yet there remained 

 the objection of the centre hole, or chamber, not being 

 so narrow as to ignite the body of the charge so sud- 

 denly, in the centre, as in the breeching of Mr. Joseph 

 Man ton. 



NO. 4. MH. JOSEPH MANTON'S BREECHING. 



A left hand Breeching. J. M.'s ditto for double gun. 



G the hole which he used to cut for a water-drain. 



Asa proof, that this is by far the best of any, I need 

 only observe, that it is now adopted by almost every 

 gunmaker in the trade. [For its adaptation to per- 

 cussion guns I shall give some new sketches under the 

 more modern head of " detonating system"~\ 



The first three breechirigs may be put, as they here 

 stand, to a common lock ; but, with those of Mr. Joseph 

 Man ton, the lock must be constructed on purpose 9 un- 

 less you have an antechamber long enough for the touch- 



