DETONATING SYSTEM. 57 



general trial, I find, so far from not having done justice 

 to the percussion principle, I have, like all other modern 

 shooters, been rather over-rating its merits than other- 

 wise : for the more shots I fire, the more I am per- 

 suaded that the flint-gun shoots the strongest into the 

 bird, and by far the easiest against the shoulder. 



It seems a paradox that a percussion-gun should fire 

 quicker, and yet not stronger than a flint-gun ; but, 

 most assuredly, this is the case. It may perhaps, in 

 some measure, be accounted for thus : the gas flies 

 instantaneously through the whole charge of powder, 

 and puts it in motion with such rapidity, that one half 

 of the powder is not ignited till the other half and the 

 shot have made some progress up the barrel, and, con- 

 sequently, there takes place (owing, perhaps, to the 

 vacuum which is thus occasioned) a violent concussion 

 or reaction, which, so far from giving strength to the 

 shot, is rather inimical to projectile force, though it 

 causes a severe strain on the barrel, and therefore shakes 

 every other part of the gun. For this reason I find, 

 that instead of almost equal measure of powder and shot 

 (the sure proportion for strong and good shooting), 

 a detonater, in one's own defence, had better be loaded 

 with three quarters in measure of powder, to four 

 quarters of shot ; and that long barrels, which are 

 opened behind, and nip the charge, in the cylinder, 

 till more of the powder is burnt, do more justice to the 

 percussion system than the others. I had ample proof 

 of this by an experiment with a musket of three feet 

 six inches, and a double gun of two feet eight inches. 

 The musket, when made into a detonater, shot very 

 near, if riot quite, as well as when a flint-gun ; but 

 the double gun did not shoot so well, afterwards, by at 



